Music Review: Parker Millsap sings Bible Belt blues

Parker Millsap, "The Very Last Day" (Okrahoma Records/Thirty Tigers)

The first song is "Hades Pleads" and the last is "Tribulation Hymn," which means Parker Millsap takes his audience to hell and back.

It makes for an entertaining trip. Millsap's songs are strong, and so is his tent-revival tenor, which straddles the divide between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The 23-year-old Oklahoman's breath control needs work, showing he's still a raw talent, but his scoops, slides and octave leaps suit the material.

While Millsap sings Bible Belt blues with melisma and charisma, he receives excellent support from his band mates and guests including Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan. The Old Testament provides inspiration, and Millsap covers lots of ground, from temptation and seduction to devotion and tolerance.

The opening cut rocks as hard as an unplugged band can, while "You Gotta Move" convincingly covers the Rev. Gary Davis. "Hands Up" offers a clever, sympathetic look at a holdup from the perp's perspective, but best of all is the title tune. It provides a swaggering soundtrack for the Apocalypse, which could come in handy sometime.