“‘Leave It In The Hands of the Lord’ was born out of a conversation that [co-writer] Mark Bumgarner and I were having in his beautiful Blue Ridge mountain cabin,” Nicholson notes. “The sentiment is simple and powerful; Let Go and Let God.”
Backed by guitarist Colby Laney, whose inspired introduction establishes the song’s catchy, classic groove; banjo man Wes Corbett (Sam Bush Band); fiddler Billy Contreras (Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder); and bassist Zack Smith (Town Mountain), Nicholson delivers the song with deep, personal conviction — a sense shared by his wife, who contributes strong harmonies that bring a dose of Black gospel influence to bear on the performance. Short and to the point, the song reaches its pinnacle in a penultimate chorus that places handclaps provided by members of labelmates Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, who happened to be recording on the same day, under soulful improvised lines from Jennifer Nicholson.
