Because Dale Watson has always cultivated an outlaw image, it at first seems incongruous that he'd attempt a gospel album. But Help Your Lord doesn’t feel like a gospel album as much as a collection of country songs that use faith and the Bible as their primary themes. Which is to say, this record is every bit as tough as Watson’s previous albums. A loose and highly naturalistic horn section brings some homespun church fervor, but otherwise this is a country album through and through. Watson chronicled his struggles with depression on his 2000 album Every Song I Write Is for You—written after his fiancée's sudden death—and the most convincing aspect of Help Your Lord is that its convictions feel earned. Watson doesn’t simply reiterate things that others have told him; rather, he illustrates aspects of the Bible with examples from his own travels and travails. This isn't didactic gospel music; it's a generous testimony from a man who's been through enough to know something about the healing power of faith.