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All Songs + 1: Josh Ritter's 'Sermon on the Rocks'

NPR | By Bob Boilen

Published July 27, 2015 at 8:03 AM EDT

I'd never imagined a great song poet writing "Getting Ready to Get Down," but there we have it. It's a hard and humorous look at religion, sex and a "risky" teenager becoming herself despite Bible school intervention. I talked with Josh Ritter about this song, and you can hear that interview and the song here or subscribe to the All Songs Considered podcast.

And Ritter's new album, recorded in New Orleans, will appropriately be called Sermon on the Rocks.It's filled with Bible references stirred with passion and alcohol. The music is contagious. The album is out Oct. 16 with concert dates in the fall.

Bob Boilen

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.

See stories by Bob Boilen