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
This is the album I've wanted for decades Here's the word. This is pedal steel that outstrips all other albums I've ever heard. There is no nonsensical lyrics about drunks, cheating lovers and no hokum that sounds like the slop on touristy gift store album that is "showcasing" quaint, "local talent". This album is on fire. This Pedal is straight and uncut with only one chaser..the compulsion to play it again.
My favorite instrumental CD of all time I don't care who you are, this CD is just amazing. I'm an atheist and can't stand most traditional gospel music, but I bought this because I was a die hard NMA and Robert Randolph fan. It quickly became one of my favorite CDs of all time. These tunes are amazing and some of the best I've ever heard. If you don't like this CD, get your head and hearing checked.
As good as live I've been lucky enough to see Robert Randolph and family live twice this summer, and they put on an awesome show. The CD will definitely make you want to get up out of your seat, cause there "Ain't no-booooodddddyyyy" like Robert and crew!
sublime slide guitar 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.
Souless, Tedious Noodling. Good for napping. When did music sans structure or direction become so hip. At some point it loses all meaning and becomes mere musical masturbation. That's what this is. Not gospel, but some idiotic, lazy approximation by a bunch of people who are adored by hippies. The irony is so rich it gave me indigestion.
However, it does make good background or elevator music, as long as the volume is kept pretty low.
You hippies are pretty entertaining as long as I stay upwind from you and the volume on your noodle music is kept low enough to carry on conversations.
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