There is a quality to Southern rock music that gives it a constant upward current. The Allman Brothers Band had it. The Tedeschi Trucks Band has it. Revival! does too, and their name says it all. Of course we’re talking about gospel. Now Is the Time is a collection of seven covers that are securely Southern, soulful, and gospel-influenced. When you’ve got two songs made famous by the Staple Singers, there’s no question where your influence comes from.

Carolyn Broussard is center-stage on this album, but you can tell she’s a team player. Her vocals, despite their power, do not over-extend. She blends naturally with the backing vocals and instrumentation from the band. You can tell she’s really listening to them. A less-measured singer in the same milieu might think that more is more and verge into wailing territory on some of these songs.

The rest of the band have that same cohesive gentleness. The result is a feeling of lightness and warmth that flows through the album. “Satisfied Mind” is the only song on the disc to diverge from that feeling, the guitars cutting loose and the ensemble playing with loud/quiet and stop/start dynamics. Kinda like the Pixies went south.