title: Brother Sinner and the Whale
text: # Brother Sinner and the Whale
  
  Brother Sinner and the Whale is an album by American blues singer and guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps, released in 2012. It was recorded in mono with only voice and guitar.
  
  ## Reception
  
  Professional ratings :
  
  | Review scores ||
  | - | - |
  | Source | Rating |
  | Allmusic | |
  
  Music critic Thom Jurek praised the release in his Allmusic review, writing "...it's the originals, all rooted in country and blues gospel, that embrace with unflinching honesty a return to Phelps' evangelical roots, but he's older, wiser, repentant. His bottleneck slide playing and fingerpicking finesse are deft and fluid as ever. His writing is tight, full of solid melodies, beautiful couplets, biblical poetry, and lithe passages where lyrics and guitars blur and intertwine seamlessly... No matter your spiritual beliefs, it's difficult to fault Phelps for such a warm, inviting, and brave recording. If conviction and quality are the measure of a songwriter and musician, the songs and performances on Brother Sinner & the Whale are the very measure of both."
  
  ## Track listing
  
  All songs written by Kelly Joe Phelps unless otherwise noted.
  
  * "Talkin' to Jehovah" – 4:36
  * "Goodbye to Sorrow" – 3:28
  * "Hope in the Lord to Provide" – 5:45
  * "Pilgrim's Reach" – 4:29
  * "Spit Me Outta the Whale" – 4:05
  * "Sometimes a Drifter" – 4:52
  * "Hard Time They Never Go Away" – 4:43
  * "I've Been Converted" (Traditional) – 3:09
  * "The Holy Spirit Flood" – 4:58
  * "Down to the Praying Ground" – 4:35
  * "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" – 3:27
  * "Brother Pilgrim" – 2:59
  
  ## Personnel
  
  * Kelly Joe Phelps - vocals, guitar
  
  Production notes:
  
  * Steve Dawson – producer, engineer, mixing, mastering
  * John Rummen – artwork
  