Close to Home (Banjo Ben Records, 2012) is a bluegrass gospel album from the Purple Hulls, a sibling trio of Ben Clark ("Banjo Ben"), Katy Clark, and Penny Clark. Clark operates one of the most successful online bluegrass instruction platforms under his "Banjo Ben" persona, and the Purple Hulls gave that enterprise a family recording dimension rooted in sacred material. Andy Leftwich co-produced the album and contributes fiddle and mandolin; Rob Ickes adds resonator guitar; Byron House handles bass. The program of hymns, originals, and gospel favorites is performed with clean acoustic instrumentation and close family harmony in the tradition of the family-gospel strand of bluegrass — a lineage running from the Carter Family and the Whites through the Isaacs — in which sacred repertoire is transmitted as a form of domestic musical culture rather than commercial production.
Tracklist
- 1 What a Friend We Have in Jesus alt version 2:46
- 2 No Power in the Water 2:48
- 3 The Lord Came Unto Me 4:07
- 4 I Just Wanted You to Know 3:53
- 5 Grandma's Garden 3:12
- 6 That Special Night 3:43
- 7 Get in the Boat 3:12
- 8 Higher Ground 2:41
- 9 How Deep the Father's Love 3:22
- 10 Be Thou My Vision 3:13
- 11 Old Rugged Cross alt version 3:12
- 12 Close to Home 3:46
