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The Word
The Word, Robert Randolph
The Word
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

Sweet surrender's always been the subtext of gospel music, but the velvet punch of this superstar jam band will knock out secular audiences as well. The Word features John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood and youngbl...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: The Word, Robert Randolph
Title: The Word
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rope a Dope
Release Date: 7/31/2001
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
Styles: Contemporary Blues, Blues Rock, Jam Bands, Rock Jam Bands
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 821838292821

Synopsis

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Sweet surrender's always been the subtext of gospel music, but the velvet punch of this superstar jam band will knock out secular audiences as well. The Word features John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood and youngblood trio the North Mississippi Allstars, but its star is Robert Randolph, a 23-year-old from New Jersey who is the new god of pedal-steel guitar. Randolph earned his chops in the Pentecostal church, performing the so-called "Sacred Steel" music well documented by the Arhoolie label (see Sacred Steel, Vol. 2 for a sample). He plays like an amalgamation of Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John Coltrane, Buddy Emmons, Bo Diddley, and Mahalia Jackson. In short, he's brilliant, so full of rock & roll energy, improvisational fire, and sonic acrobatics that the other great musicians on this disc mostly stay out of his way. Randolph has a seemingly divine gift for on-the-fly harmony as he splits the difference between Sunday tent meetings and Saturday juke crawls on "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning." In the Allman Brothers-style jams, Randolph plays both Dickey Betts and Duane to Medeski's organ, handling sweet, clean scales and rich, mellow slide slurs. But his vocabulary extends well beyond American-roots music. "Blood on That Rock" ends in a free-improv meltdown, and elsewhere his snaky lines sound like Middle Eastern holy singing. All of which makes The Word worth heeding. --Ted Drozdowski

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CD Reviews

Sublime slide guitar
ADP | NJ | 09/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Robert Randolph plays a pedal steel that competes in a league with Duane Allman. OK, Allman is the best. However, this is the best slide - or pedal steel played like a slide - that has been available since Duane left this planet. If you enjoy great guitar music, you can not be without this album. Robert Randolph has other albums out, but none has lived up to the Word. Since he is still young, maybe Robert Randolph will blow us away in the future - he is certainly capable - but until then, this album features the best slide playing in this millenium."