Artist:     The Sensational Barnes Brothers

Album:     Brothers Nobody’s Fault But My Own

Label:     Bible & Tire Recording Co.

Release Date:     9.20.19

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What year is it again? Does it still feel like the 2010s, or have we been delightfully whisked back to the golden age of Motown soul for a fun 40 minutes? Go check the calendar if you want, but in a way, it doesn’t matter. The Sensational Barnes Brothers offer a prime demonstration that the joy of gospel isn’t tied to any time or place (and really shouldn’t be). There’s always room for anyone willing to testify to their beliefs, share their joy and hopefully dance in the aisles.

Backed up by organist Calvin Barnes II, siblings Chris and Courtney sing their hearts out here with loads of classic R&B swagger and tent-revival cheer. Out on a brand-new gospel label from the venerable Fat Possum Records, Nobody’s Fault But My Own is a stomper both fervent and faithful, and if it tends to stay on well-established paths, any over-familiarity is easily outweighed by the sheer fun factor (the classics are classics for a reason, after all). “Why Am I Treated So Bad” coasts on funky horns to make that mistreatment sound sunny as all get-out, and even the mea-culpa of the title track makes a touch of guilt sound like reason for a party.

The group often seems to enjoy presenting these things with a touch of irony: “I Feel Good” (not the James Brown song) swings sedately with a couple minor chords in the mix, while “I Won’t Have to Cry No More” builds its hopeful two-step on the deepest structure of the blues. The affair is nothing if not intensely personal—“I” appears in more than half the titles—yet the most basic thoughts can still apply to anyone, whether they share the Barnes’ particular religious faith or not. If there’s one defining moment, it’s the warm simple organ-backed chorus set right at the album’s center: “Just keep on / keep doing what you do / just let it be good.” They’d rather lift your soul than save it, though doesn’t it really come out to much the same thing in the end?

—Geno Thackara