Track Listing

1. Ted's Jam
2. The March
3. Pressing My Way
4. Shake Your Hips
5. I Don't Know What You Come To Do
6. Tears Of Joy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31450 in Music
• Brand: RANDOLPH,ROBERT & THE FAMILY BAND
• Released on: 2002-09-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Live, Original recording reissued
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Album Description
Robert Randolph is one of the most talented pedal steel guitarists of his generation, picking up comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix. Live At The Wetlands is the debut from Randolph and The Family Band. Dare Records. 2002.

Amazon.com
This album's all about the blazing virtuosity of Robert Randolph. The pop-music arrival of the young pedal-steel guitarist from the Pentecostal church was shepherded last year by the North Mississippi Allstars and groove organist John Medeski in a brilliant album and group called The Word. With his own Family Band and just one spiritual, the lovely "Pressing My Way," on the set list, Randolph sends lightning bolts through the audience in this August 2001 recording at a now-shuttered Manhattan club. He blends the showmanship of his blues inspiration, Stevie Ray Vaughan, with his own unique instrumental mastery, transforming his steel guitar into something more like a lead vocalist. Randolph constantly makes his 13-string guitar play call-and-response with his own singing, and he breathes fire into Slim Harpo's chestnut "Shake Your Hips" by making it a field day for his stabbing splashes of notes and chords, inventing a different melody for his long solos that's more western swing than swamp blues. Although the shout-and-stomp-along original, "I Don't Know What You Come to Do," raises the crowd, it's the 11-minute finale, "Tears of Joy," that is Randolph's showstopper. The tune's a crafty summation of all his gifts: slow, sliding, rich-toned notes and low-buzzing chords; rhythms that pull from the stately qualities of gospel (enhanced by the way Randolph's steel blends with John Ginty's Hammond organ) and the pure exhilaration of rock improvisation; and beautiful tones that echo from honky-tonk to Hendrix. It's the musical equivalent of a white-water thrill ride. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews

sacred steel
Robert Randolph received his education on the pedal steel guitar at a House Of God church in Orange, New Jersey. The origins of that church date back to the early 1900's, and in the 1930's those congregations developed the use of the pedal and lap steel guitar as an instrument for worship services in lieu of the much more expensive, though more traditional organ. Randolph's family encouraged Robert to learn the instrument at age 15, but it wasn't until he was 17 that his interest in mastering the pedal steel intensified, and ultimately engulfed his life.

Randolph plays the finest pedal steel guitar I've ever had the pleasure of hearing, and his funky jam-rock approach on 'Live At the Wetlands' also whets my appetite. This recording was made shortly prior to the closing of The Wetlands venue four days after the Twin Towers came down in New York City. For thirteen years what was once an urban warehouse had served double-duty as a center for environmental activism as well as a concert venue for up-and-coming artists. It's clear from the host's introduction and the reaction of the crowd to Randolph's set that the Family Band had become something of a fixture at the 500-seat capacity Wetlands, and that Randloph possessed a special reverence for that venue as well.

My two favorite tracks on the disc are the thirteen minute opener, a rollicking instrumental titled 'Ted's Jam', written by Randolph (as are all the tracks on the disc, save the cover of Slim Harpo's 'Shake Your Hips'), but inspired by pedal steel legend Ted Beard (ironically, Randolph's father wed the daughter of Ted Beard, establishing the connection), and the next to last track, the similarly extended boogie number, 'I Don't Know What You Come To Do'. 'Pressing My Way' and the closer 'Tears of Joy', bring a bit of the blues into the set, while 'The March' features a sound closer to the virtuoso work of Duane Allman than anyone has produced since his death in 1971.

The Family Band gains its moniker from the fact that Randolph's rhythm section, two-thirds of his support, are cousins Danyell Morgan on bass and Marcus Randolph on drums. While this may smirk of cronyism, both Danyell and Marcus are clearly up to the task of backing Randolph, with Danyell delivering scorching bass lines and inspired vocals, and Marcus a sharp, penetrating beat. John Ginty adds organ fills, but they're all but lost in Randolph's exquisite runs on the pedal steel.

In past interviews Randolph has admitted that he "was a bad kid" while growing up, but the pedal steel has proven to be the tool God used to deliver him from a life of crime and poverty. He claims his music seeks to bring listeners closer to the Holy Spirit, and while on the surface a Gospel connection may be difficult to discern, there is plenty of soul to be discovered in his work, and his energy is overwhelmingly positive. The only thing better to hearing Randolph's energy exude from this disc is seeing him live, a treat I recently witnessed on an edition of the PBS production 'Austin City Limits'. It's hard to imagine any fan of funk, boogie, soul, or rock, not finding something to like in the music of Robert Randolph.

Totally Awesome Pedal Guitar...........
My husband and I had never heard of Robert Randolph before watching him on the Crossroads Guitar Festival on our local PBS station. We watched in awe.... this young man makes the steel guitar sing in a way most regular guitar players can't begin to master. Nobodys fingers should be able to move that fast! We chose this CD because it was done live, and thought it would show his artistic freedom to soar to unknown heights that wouldn't be captured in the studio. He didn't let us down. He obviously loves what does and as a listener you can't help but be caught up in it. I may not know all the "correct" musical qualities to look / listen for, but I do feel that if you want to hear one of the most talented, innovative young people around today, you owe it to yourself to invest in at least one of his CDs, and this is a good place to start.

The man can jam!
After much anticipation, I finally got to experience Robert Randolph live last night in Boston. I had goose bumps immediately as the set started and the pedal steel began to wail. Simply great music that gets the blood pumping and the feet moving. I've been listening to this CD nearly every weekend for the last few months, as Randolph and company have the amazing ability to both relax and energize the mind and soul. Unlike anything you will ever listen to, this is one of the greatest live performances out there. A must buy, and a must see if Randolph & Family are in town.