Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue Share Good News on SHOUT! Live.

From the moment I first heard Mike Farris' powerful, soulful, heart-felt vocals, I knew I was hearing the voice of a survivor. Mike Farris is a talented singer-songwriter who has been around for years and worked with the likes of Blues Traveler, Joan Osborne, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews Band, ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers Band. With a voice that channels Tom Jones and a presence that lights up a room, Farris has the goods to be a rock star. But something very powerful got in his way.

Mike Farris turned to gospel music after a near fatal overdose on drugs and alcohol. According to his Web site, Farris wanted to help people like Jesus did, by using his music. But the addictions were initially too powerful and he fell back into his old habits. Sober for the past four years, Farris realized that he was addicted to chemicals and alcohol and the places where he played his music tempted him to feed his addictions. In the winter of 2004, Mike Farris made a decisive commitment to conquer his addictions. He went home, and with the help of his family, got sober.

On SHOUT! Live, a collection of live recordings from the Sunday Night Shout series at Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee, Mike Farris demonstrates that his Christian faith has given him power... power that he wants to share with everyone who will listen. SHOUT! Live, scheduled to be released on April 14, 2009, is an outstanding outlet for Mike's inspirational testimony to the power of God. I was fortunate enough to be able to review a free copy of this album ahead of its release and I'm proud to be able to spread the word about it.

SHOUT! Live runs for a little over an hour and consists of fourteen soul stirring tracks that are guaranteed to get you on your feet. Most of the songs were written by Farris, though he's also retooled a couple of well known hymns and covered "Green, Green Grass Of Home", a song Tom Jones made famous in 1966.

Farris is joined by The Roseland Rhythm Revue, an exciting 10 piece band complete with a horn section, and the McCrary Sisters, a trio of silky voiced singers whose rich harmonies lend an air of old time Memphis blues to Farris' distinctive vocals. While Farris fronts most of the songs on SHOUT! Live, he also allows his very talented band mates and backup singers time to shine. A notable example of Farris' generosity is on the tracks "Regina's Tambourine", which puts Reginia McCrary in the spotlight, and on "Dig A Little Deeper", which features The McCrary Sisters and Deborah McCrary.

My husband and I listened to SHOUT! Live this past weekend and were sold after Farris' first song, an energetic, revamped rendition of "Precious Lord Take My Hand". Other standouts on SHOUT! Live, include Farris' sinister song, "Devil Don't Sleep", a sultry track that warns about Satan's sneaky nature, and "I'm Gonna Get There", an eight minute jam that radiates joy and has everyone at the Sunday Shout clapping. Farris closes with his very poignant version of "Green, Green Grass Of Home", a song that he sings quietly and thoughtfully... as if he personally relates to the lyrics in a profound way.

Mike Farris and The Roseland Rhythm Revue clearly demonstrate that gospel music can be fun and uplifting. While there's one song on SHOUT! Live that warns of the devil, Farris has mostly concentrated on sharing good news with all comers. His message is very appealing and infectious. I think it's likely to get through to a lot of people because while Farris is a very talented and charismatic performer, he also sounds very sincere.

If you're in need of a little good news, I encourage you to pick up a copy of SHOUT! Live when it becomes available on April 14, 2009. Until then, you can see Mike Farris on his YouTube channel and hear samples of his music on his personal Web site and his MySpace page.