Spirituality is central to 16 Horsepower's works. The eccentric leader David Eugene Edwards knows the bible like the back of his hand. 16 Horsepower's songs are a paragon of vigorous, energetic, white gospel, stirred up by Edwards' intense, lashing voice. The songs gain even more strength during performances. Hoarse is the sediment of 16 Horsepower's 1998 tour, when they played in a smaller line-up then they do now. Nevertheless it's a voluptuous album, with radiant versions of their classics Black Soul Choir, For Heaven's Sake and Black Lung. Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising gets an unusual treatment drenched in greasy blues. The Gun Club's Fire Spirit is pure punk and the surprising cover of Joy Division's Day Of The Lords is a masterly pedal point. A live album that is not a superfluous bridge to the next studio album.