Many things draw men to rock 'n' roll, with the triple seduction of sex, fame and rampant hedonism ranking high among them. In the case of 16 Horsepower singer/guitarist/banjo player David Eugene Edwards, however, the calling was spiritual, in both the metaphysical and intellectual senses of the word.

'Making music wasn't a rebellion thing for me," states Edwards, his charismatic earnestness tempered by a soft-spoken manner. It was the soul-baring-the why-am-I-here, what-am-I-doing-nature and the sincerity and honesty of music."

The 32-year-old Edwards spent much of his childhood on the road with his grandfather, a traveling minister, and church hymns and teachings left lasting marks. "The things that impressed me about music were things that impressed me about the church as well," says Edwards. "God speaks to me through the church just as much as he does through anything else I come across. And when I write a song, every single one has to do with [God]. I can't get away from it."

Edwards formed the Denver-based 16 Horsepower in 1994 with drummer Jean-Yves Tola. Sharing a love of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and the Gun Club, the pair picked up bassist Kevin Soll and forged a sound out of country, bluegrass and Appalachian-styled folk and tempered it with a hellish post-punk urgency. (Edwards additionally cites the existential manifestos of Joy Division as key among his influences.) A self-titled 1995 EP and two critically hailed albums for A&M, 1996's Sackcloth 'N' Ashes and 1998's John Parish-produced Low Estate, followed. A&M, however, was flummoxed at how to market a quasi-Southern gothic hillbilly/rock band-fronted by an overtly Christian wordsmith, no less-specializing in minor-key, murderous tales of men caught between Satan's lure and God's wrath, all of which were performed on vintage-looking acoustic instruments.

Signing with Razor & Tie Records earlier this year, 16 Horsepower-now a quartet featuring upright-bassist Pascal Humbert (who replaced Soll after Sackcloth) and guitarist Stephen Taylor -retreated to a remote mountain cabin two hours from Denver, emerging with the self-produced Secret South. The album's 11 tunes bear witness to a startling evolution in songwriting and playing, from the apocalyptic twang 'n' brimstone opener "Clogger" and the hymn-like, organ/violin-directed "Silver Saddle" to a pair of covers (Dylan's obscure '73 ballad "Nobody 'Cept You" and the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger"), both rendered in burnished, elegantly antebellum tones. As a singer, Edwards also evinces a newfound maturity, lending his characters distinctive voicings.

"It's called Secret South for a reason," explains Edwards. "My family is from the South, and most of the songs are about family history. Although out of respect, because of things I wouldn't normally talk about openly, it's lyrically shrouded in metaphors. But I felt it important to sing about it for my own well-being and to come to terms with certain things."

Just back from a traipse across Europe (where a live album, Hoarse, was recently issued by Germany's Glitterhouse Records) and now embarking on an extensive U.S. tour, 16 Horsepower is moving at full steam. Which makes perfect sense: For Edwards, it's God, family and hard work that bring life's fulfillment.