There aren't that many vocalists who can reach out and grab listeners the way the Holmes Brothers can -- individually and in combination. Fans of everything from Sacred Steel to the most rugged, tattered blues will find a place to kneel. The brothers' music makes the musical ground between the Blind Boys of Alabama and John Lee Hooker seem wonderfully fertile. On their latest, Speaking in Tongues, they've tackled everything from traditional hymns to gospel howlers, as well as Ben Harper's lush "I Shall Not Walk Alone" and Bob Dylan's "Man of Peace." Theirs is a surprisingly contemporary noise, whether they're raising it up to the Lord with gorgeously gritty gospel numbers or pausing briefly to rumble in secular regions.
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