Crowder ‘I Know A Ghost’ Album Review

Crowder
I Know A Ghost
(sixstepsrecords)

Almost 50 years ago, Flannery O’Connor coined the term “Christ-haunted South,” and that banner haunts Crowder’s new album I Know A Ghost front to back. This is a South-ern rock record, to be sure, but more than that, it’s an album that recognizes the presence of the Holy Spirit and His work in the world.

It’s no accident that the first song is called “I Know a Ghost” and the final song is “Ghost.” Crowder leans on various strains of Southern music here, from the banjo-plucking, foot-stomping strains of “Child of God,” to the Southern Gospel on “Let it Rain (Is There Anybody),” which Crowder shares with the powerful voice of Mandisa. “Night Like This” is yet another example, a song that wouldn’t be out of place on mainstream country radio.

Crowder hasn’t lost his praise and worship cred either, with songs like “No Rival” and its belt-out chorus that rings, “There is no one like Jesus/He has no rival.”

Overall, I Know a Ghost is a powerful collection of Crowder at his very best, pulling from varied styles to make a record that feels the haunting of the Holy Spirit all over it.

–John Barber