You don't expect rockmusicians to be godfearing and to approach their audience with one hand on the cross and the other on the bible. However, David Eugene Edwards doesn't hide that he's a Man with a Message, even if it isn't a joyous one most of the time. Every breath, every step in his life is determined by his faith and the eternal conflict between sin and virtue.

He's the frontman of 16 Horsepower, a band that doesn't want to be hip. For the Denver quartet the past is not about mothballs or stuffy history books; it's a living matter that is still relevant today. Not only does the band swear by old instruments, they prefer to use traditional music styles that most American radiostations consider to be hopelessly old-fashioned: folk, blues, country, cajun, gospel and murder ballads as they were once sung by white settlers in the Appalachian mountains. Yet 16 Horsepower is not a retro-band, not in the least. And judged from their concert friday evening in a packed Vooruit, their updated rootsrock appeals to more and more people.

16 Horsepower's music is full of relief and dynamics. The contrast between loud and quiet passages sees to it that the tension never slackens, and since the recent release of the Secret South album, the band's sound has been broadened and enriched considerably. The strings and keyboards parts have become larger and the emphasis now is more on slower, lingering songs with a distinct melancholic drift. All the same the 16hp with Colorado license plates stops at Sackcloth 'N' Ashes and Low Estate rest areas from time to time. For this occasion the four-in-hand were completed by Elin Palmer, just out of the cradle, a violinist who could stand her (young wo)man on guitar, piano and percussion as well.

The set started cautiously yet enchanting with 'Silver Saddle'. Singer Edwards, who sat on his stool twisting in all directions and howling at the moon like a wolf possessed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce's spirit, apologised promptly for the state of his voice. Strange, because no one noticed that something was wrong. The singer, who also played banjo, slide-guitar and bandoneon, was even given flowers by a fan ("My wife will like that") and showed his most intense side particularly during haunted blues songs. The picture of a man with the devil breathing down his neck and only having some holy water to ward off the danger came to mind.

Highlights in abundance in Gent: 'Cinder Alley' that started with a modest violin motif and then, near the chorus, burst open like an overripe piece of fruit; 'Harms' Way', a furious waltz with Edwards in man-to-man combat with his bandoneon; 'Burning Bush' solemnly striding and smelling like churchyard-flowers; and 'Splinters' encircled by dangerous auditive whirlpools. Also very impressive were 'Nobody 'Cept You' picked from Dylan's Bootleg Series, 'Wayfaring Stranger' performed soberly and 'Poor Mouth' decorated with Duane Eddy-guitars.