Artist:     Jared Deck

Album:     Bully Pulpit

Label:     Smith Entertainment

Release Date:     2.1.2019

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The first two cuts on Bully Pulpit, rife with Deck’s gravelly shouted lines and a rocking gospel choir (both sounding ripped straight from a Southern Baptist or Pentecostal church) won’t tell you much about the album except that Deck takes holy language and applies it to profane topics. On the opener, “I Don’t Know What You Come To Do,” for example, Deck reveals he “came to rock and roll,” when “pray” might better fit the genre. On the second cut, “Can I get a witness, Can I get an Amen, Can I get my money back from the girl who stole my heart,” would sound church-appropriate if you don’t speak much English.

Those two tunes are recommended tracks from Deck’s support team, and they’re foot-stompers for sure, but Deck has such a marvelous voice it almost seems a shame not to show it off to better effect. My favorite cuts are the (probably) autobiographic “Sometimes I Miss Being Lonely,” about a musician’s solitary lifestyle, whether he’s married or not; the soft and tender “Make Your Mama Proud;” “There’s a Leak in This Old Building,” a traditional bluesy/gospel-sounding number with a delightful piano intro by Jim Robinson; and the closer, “Over and Over” which begins with Deck singing a cappella.

In the final analysis, whether you’re in a pensive mood or looking for a revival meeting without having to get off your couch, Bully Pulpit has satisfying goods. If, like me, you were not familiar with Jared Deck, be sure to try this one on—you’ll become a convert, too.

—Suzanne Cadgène