Heaven's Just a Sin Away

Background

"Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is the ninth track of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, the ninth solo album of John Fogerty with new material. The collection is a follow-up to Fogerty's first solo album The Blue Ridge Rangers which consisted of covers of old country and gospel tunes and came out in 1973.

Recording of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again started in October 2008 at Village Recorders in Santa Monica with engineer Mike Piersante. The album was arranged and produced by John Fogerty. It was released in August 2009. The album peaked at #24 in the USA, #1 in Norway and #3 in Sweden. 

Of the several tunes selected for the album "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" was probably one of the most succesful. Composed by Jerry Gillespie, and recorded originally by The Kendalls, the song went to Number One on the Billboard Country Singles charts in 1977.  

Personnel

Vocals, acoustic guitar: John Fogerty

Electric guitar: Buddy Miller

Steel guitar: Greg Leisz

Drums: Jay Bellerose

Bass: Dennis Crouch

Mandolin: Jason Mowery

Harmony vocals: Jodie Kennedy 

The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again was the second John Fogerty release featuring Jodie Kennedy on backing vocals. She debuted on the Comin' Down the Road live DVD. 

Trivia

Rehearsals of "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" by John Fogerty and the band are featured on the bonus DVD of the Deluxe version of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again.

Live versions

John hasn't performed the song live in concert. 

Critical reception

"--- in reprising the Kendalls' big country hit "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" and Pat Boone's No. 1 single "Moody River," he makes the case that beneath the stiff arrangements of the original recordings lurked a great, deeply unsettling narrative." -Greg Kot, The Chicago Tribune, September 1st, 2009.

"A hard-driving rendition of the Kendalls' "Heaven's Just a Sin Away," meanwhile, is another nice surprise, although hearing its giddy-up rhythms and keening harmonies here, it's a wonder that more folks (other than Kelly Willis) haven't dusted this one off already." -Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post, September 1st, 2009.

Fans' views

"This one, more than the others, does stay true to the original by The Kendalls." 

"You know, John's Heaven's Just A Sin Away goes through my head all the time.  Isn't that one of the indications that he made a really good choice?"  

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