Review of Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? by Tyler Childers

Since the release of his 2017 album, Purgatory, Tyler Childers has made quite a name for himself in country music and acquired a significant fan base. With songs that speak to the hell raisers of rural America such as “Whitehouse Road” and “I Swear (to God)”, Tyler has now taken a different approach with his most recent release, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?

Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? is a three disc album consisting of 8 different songs performed in slightly different formats, the Halleluiah version, Jubilee version, and Joyful Noise version. This collection of songs is considered to be gospel music, but maybe not in the way that most folks would consider gospel.

As fans of Tyler Childers know, he has struggled on and off with addiction and substance abuse issues. This latest release also represents a sober Tyler and fans were very eager to see how his approach to music would be since becoming sober. Funny enough, the collection of gospel songs actually does make sense for someone practicing sobriety. As someone who was raised Southern Baptist in rural America, and also being someone who has dealt with the secondhand consequences of those with addictions more than the average person, this approach totally makes sense to me. For starters, growing up, we all knew of those folks that would spend their entire week drinking too much and abusing substances only to be sitting in the old church pew every single Sunday. I think that notion is simply a part of Southern culture in the sense that “come as you are” but also that it is simply expected that you attend church on Sunday despite how you act the rest of the week. However, there were the occasional individuals that would find their sobriety and really blossom within the church and get more involved with music that was played.

Since finding his sobriety, I can understand why Tyler would maybe take a turn towards his roots and focus on the sound and feelings that those good ol revival gospel songs always seem to give. I personally have witnessed many individuals who have suffered with addiction turn to religion to help pull themselves out of it so I hope this is something that works out for him personally. Now that we have covered a bit more background behind this new direction Tyler has taken, let’s get into the content.

I will start off by saying that I am not necessarily a big fan of the three versions of each song, three disc scenario. I personally don’t notice a huge difference and I also find it to just be a bit too much. However, I absolutely respect that he tried different versions of these songs and decided to share them because there have been many of times that I have come across a demo of a song I liked and found myself enjoying the demo version a lot more.

I think my absolute favorite part of this album and collection of songs is the instrumentals. It doesn’t matter how old I get or where I stand in terms of my religious beliefs, the sound of an old organ in a song will always make me go wild. An organ just sounds so powerful to the point that almost every song is elevated when it is included. I also went absolutely feral for the horn ensemble he included in the track “The Way of the Truine God.” A song with a horn section always lifts my spirits, plus they gave an already Southern sounding song that extra flavor, almost as if it were being performed down in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Good music with southern flavor and influence just does something to me every time.

As for the content of the songs, I appreciate that although these are gospel songs, they don’t come off as “preachy” but more of us witnessing the refreshing feeling Tyler must be experiencing since his new found sobriety. In the song “Angel Band” it certainly is religious in terms of Christianity, but still respects other religions and basically points out that they all should be on the same page. In the song “Way of the Truine God” he references his substance abuse and how the gospel has helped him in that struggle. I also liked how he included a version of the title track, “Purgatory”, from his highly successful 2017 album. It was fun to hear that song performed in the same style of the others on this album. Truth be told, I honestly liked this newer version a bit better than the original. I understand that some listeners may not enjoy this album as much due to them not being religious, but I do think it isn’t totally out of left field. As many people could tell from his older music, it was evident that Tyler grew up either religious or around religion, especially growing up in Kentucky. I am also a firm believer that many singers who have such powerful and soulful voices almost always come from a church background, and Tyler is no exception. His vocals on this album sound as good as ever and you can truly feel the soul behind them as well.

Of course anyone listening to new music from Tyler Childers will naturally compare to the success that Purgatory was, but I do think this collection of songs was refreshing and full of good ol Southern revival vibes that seem almost nostalgic to anyone who grew up religious, whether or not they are today. I do think the three versions of eight songs was a bit unnecessary and I would have preferred a collection of around ten original songs but I do appreciate the experiment with the sound. I also am genuinely happy that Tyler is sober and healthy and I truly hope the best for him because he is absolutely a one of a kind talent. Although going the gospel route appeals to a smaller group of niche listeners, I still think non-religious fans can still get some enjoyment out of the amazing vocals and instrumentals this record provides. Plus, many iconic artists have made gospel albums such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, so this approach isn’t anything new.

Based on the vocals, instrumentals, content, and overall listenability, I would give this album a 7 out of 10. While I do enjoy this record, I think I will likely only revisit a couple of the songs on here compared to previous albums of his, but I do feel the soul behind this body of work and that is something I respect. I continue to wish the best for Tyler Childers and look forward to where his artistic and musical journey takes him.

Let me know what you thought about Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?