DoorWay

Ron Block is best known to bluegrass lovers as the banjo player with Union Station, Alison Krauss' backing band. But he's also an excellent singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and on his second solo album he expands his stylistic parameters to very winning effect. DoorWay is a gospel album, but with a difference: instead of the relatively uncomplicated songs of praise and spiritual victory that typify both the bluegrass and Southern gospel genres, Block chronicles actual struggles of faith and faithfulness on this album. The varied moods of that struggle are reflected in his arrangements, which veer from swinging midtempo bluegrass on "Along the Way" and "Be Assured" to the darker, moodier sound of "Flame" and "Love's Living Through Me When I Do" — an almost rockish song that features drums, electric piano, and effects-laden electric guitar. Clearly, this is not an album for rock-ribbed bluegrass purists (though few would expect it to be, given the stylistic departures of his recent recordings with Krauss). And because Block deals here with issues of doubt and temptation rather than simply celebrating spiritual certainty, it also may be one that gives pause to some members of the gospel music audience. But it's hard to imagine that anyone with a relatively open mind in musical terms and an appreciation for the real challenges and conflicts inherent in the process of choosing a life of faith will be able to listen to DoorWay and remain unmoved. Very highly recommended.