Bottom Of The Barrel

Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Robert Randolph and his Family Band have been known for their legendary live appearances but their second album should put them on the chart. I would describe Randolph as modern christen rock meets old school funk with a dash of Lenny Kravitz and Living Colour - which would make sense since he emerged onto the music scene from the House of God church in Orange, NJ.

On his new record, Colorblind, Randolph delivers all types of music, collaborates with a few notable musicians and even covers a 60's classic. The album opens with a radio friendly Ain't Nothing Wrong With That which touts tolerance and inner peace driven by a hard rocking beat and lyrics such as:

Block party, frat party, (It don't matter)
Backyard or boulevard (It don't matter)
Red, yellow, black or white (It don't matter)
We all gettin' down tonight

Tracks like Blessed, Angels and a cover of Sly Stone's Thankful N' Thoughtful are loosely built around faith concepts and provide a decidedly positive and uplifting slant to the album.

Collaboration is also another notable part of this record. Eric Clapton adds nice guitar work on Randolph's cover of the Byrds Jesus Is Just Alright while Dave Matthews adds backing vocals on Love Is The Only Way and duet with Leela James on Stronger is the albums best ballad by far.

I highly recommend picking up this album for those who want a little bit of everything including a good faithful message.

posted by TheWino @ 9:01 AM