FRIDAY: Langhorne Slim and the Law's 'The Spirit Moves' is inspired by suffering, sobriety, and gospel/Cajun/Latin grooves

If you’re one of those people who thinks that barriers don’t apply to music, then Langhorne Slim & the Law might be just the ticket. If you’re just as thankful for heart-piercing folk music as you are for raucous, joyous rock ‘n’ roll, then their most recent album, The Spirit Moves, is calling your name.

And in fact, you’ve probably already heard one of their songs, the pounding, anthemic, “Put it Together” on TV recently in ads for Coca-Cola. You could be forgiven if you were thinking that it was some lost prime-period Bob Dylan track, with Slim’s sinewy whine raging over top of a meat-and-potatoes rock groove, but it’s The Law.

In fact, “Put it Together” almost acts as the centerpiece for The Spirit Moves. It took singer/guitarist Slim months to write after initially getting the “inspiration” from the pain of having his 1977 Mercury Comet stolen. But you can also hear some more sources of human suffering on the album, from the hushed, intimate “Changes,” partially inspired by Slim’s struggle to get sober, to the frenzied gospel-meets-Cajun-meets-Latin groove of the title track.

Slim will perform old faves and songs from The Spirit Moves this Friday during High Water Festival’s kick-off party titled Low Tide Social, which is a separately ticketed event. Low Tide also entails performances from Charleston’s Ranky Tanky and Lucinda Williams, along with traditional Lowcountry boil from the Smoking Pot, and is the only High Water event that hasn’t sold out. Reserve your Low Tide Social seat now by going here.