"Resists facile caricature and simplistic interpretation of a musical tradition which, although it has demonstrated global appeal, remains linked to rural white Southern fundamentalism. . . . Harrison's book complicates our sense of who 'we' are and where that 'beautiful shore' may be. He makes us believe that even within fundamentalist evangelicalism, these borders are not nearly so fixed as we might have supposed."--Religion Dispatches
 
"A thoughtful and provocative monograph that addresses lacunae in ethnographic research on southern evangelical culture, religion, and music by delineating the important historical roles played by composer/publisher Aldine S. Kieffer (and his partner Ephraim Ruebush), and by songwriter/performer Bill Gaither (and his wife Gloria)."--Journal of Folklore Research

"A powerful and effective sample of self-reflexive scholarship."--Southern Spaces
"Both the most important book about American vernacular music in a generation and a revelatory addition to our rich literature about the lived experience of American evangelicalism.  Harrison shows how a fundamentalist evangelical culture can foster individualized moments of wonder-working transcendence that move beneath, around, and through the trappings of power and conformity."--The Journal of Southern History

"Harrison's work suggests that autobiographical approaches to popular culture have the potential to resonate far beyond a solitary author. It suggests that there might be a whole lot more to the music than has previously been considered."--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society


"A significant contribution to understanding Southern white gospel music and evangelical religious practice. Harrison treats seriously a music that has long been dismissed and neglected as simplistic and is thus vastly understudied."--Jeff Todd Titon, author of Powerhouse for God: Speech, Chant, and Song in an Appalachian Baptist Church

"A compelling and eloquent first book-length critical analysis of the music and social context of modern Southern gospel. Truly one couldn't conjure up a scholar better equipped to write on this topic, which Harrison addresses with notable authority and ambition."--David W. Stowe, author of No Sympathy for the Devil: Christian Pop Music and the Transformation of American Evangelicalism