Though Sacred Steel Guitar’s young gun Robert Randolph has gotten a lot of attention from the music industry in recent years, The Campbell Brothers have been a major factor on the Sacred Steel scene for a long time.

In fact, the brothers were a huge influence on most of the youngsters playing steel guitars out there in various House of God churches today (Chuck Campbell reportedly got Randolph his first guitar).

Though a lot of their work has appeared on Arhoolie, either on Sacred Steel compilations or their three albums for the label, their new release, Can You Feel It? (Ropeadope Records), may be their best work yet.

The CD’s 11 tracks consist of songs that the band has been playing in church for the past three years. The Campbells feature two steel guitarists, brothers Chuck (pedal steel) and Darick (lap steel), and they are out front and center for this release, which is where they should be, laying down some fantastic sounds.

Their brother Phil plays rhythm and MIDI guitar and also contributes some great licks in support of his brothers, especially on the jazzy closing track, “No Mo’ One Mo’” (don’t miss the swinging bonus cut that is at the tail end of this track).

The instrumental tracks are stunning, ranging from the funky opener, “Frammin’” to the smooth “Good All The Time,” to a cover of “A Change Is Gonna Come” that literally screams passion. Additional highlights include a pop-ish instrumental of “Amazing Grace” and a bluesy take on “Don’t Let The Devil Ride,” with sizzling vocals from Denise Brown, who also lends first-rate vocals to several of the other tracks, including “The Judgement,” “Power Lord,” and “Rally Time.” The rhythm section of Carlton Campbell (drums) and Malcolm Kirby (bass) provide stellar backing, and organist John Medeski, founder of the Sacred Steel super group, The Word, produced the disc and plays organ on selected tracks.

In the Bible, the Psalmist said, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord…” and the Campbell Brothers are definitely doing that with this excellent release that, hopefully, will show those unfamiliar with their music what all the fuss is about.