Lost & Undone: A Gospel Bluegrass Companion

Lost & Undone is a bona fide gospel album, graced by songs popularised by legendary country and bluegrass artists and punctuated by a contemporary work that shines as brightly as its ancestors. Led by Canadian guitarist Colin Nairne, The High Bar Gang includes Eric Reed (mandolin and dobro), Bob Becker (bass), and Barney Bentall (guitar and vocals). The group’s justly celebrated harmony singing is handled by Nairne’s wife, Wendy Bird, together with Angela Harris and Shari Ulrich on repertoire that includes Ralph Stanley’s ‘Angel Band,’ Bill Monroe’s ‘Mother’s Only Sleeping,’ and Hank Williams’ ‘I Saw the Light.’

Deftly weaving a vivid evocation of the golden gospel era, the band ascends to an even higher plane on ‘All My Tears,’ a meditation on the afterlife written by Julie Miller. Each of the High Bar vocalists takes a turn at the lines, leading to an exultant chorus: ‘It don’t matter where you bury me/I’ll be home and I’ll be free’. Lost & Undone might not make you a believer, but it will probably make you think twice about it.