The Righteous Gemstones played the long game. You cast a respected singer-songwriter with an established acting side gig, keep him in the background for most of the season, and then let him steal the episode with one great song. That’s what happened on last night’s “Burn for Burn, Wound for Wound, Stripe for Stripe,†anyway, when Sturgill Simpson’s Brother Marshall took the pulpit during a service for Peter’s doomsday militia church. (If you don’t watch the show, here’s hoping “doomsday militia church†convinces you.) Simpson then sang a rousing a cappella take on “All the Gold in California,†a country classic by Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band. It’s not a church song, but it’s just as inspirational and touching, especially in the hands of a musician like Simpson. Do we hear a gospel album in his future?
For now, enjoy that performance, which is available to stream and credited to Brother Marshall and the Choir of Fire. It may shine even brighter than all that gold.