Robert Randolph is on fire. Since his first performance outside of a church in 2000, Randolph’s ability to push every bit of soul out of his pedal steel guitar has people singing and dancing. Live at the Wetlands documents the live performance of 24-year-old Randolph doing a farewell performance for a legendary New York club, The Wetlands.
At the age of sixteen, Randolph began playing the pedal steel guitar at the House Of God Church. The Pentecostal Parish had a long-standing history of pedal steel players who quickly shaped and challenged Randolph to become a standout player. Through mastery of the instrument with a deep, channeled sense of soul and spirit, Randolph’s church performances soon became legendary. At this time, recordings of Randolph’s playing at church services were released and the Family Band (including cousin Danyel Morgan on bass and brother Marcus Randolph on drums) was assembled for public performances.
Randolph’s performance on Live at the Wetlands leaves no doubt that his upbringing lies in church spirituals and hymnals. “Pressing My Way” starts with a fragile blues aura; Randolph invites the crowd to reminisce on a time when “You thought you weren’t going to make it.” The track slowly builds with Randolph sizing up his misfortunes. The tune subsequently boils over and breaks loose. The Family Band resolves into a well-built rhythm with Randolph pushing his playing to the edge and frantically preaching “You’ve GOT to press on.”
Other highlights on the record include “I Don’t Know What You Come to Do,” an infectious, bass- and drum-driven track with Randolph demanding that the crowd stomp their feet and clap their hands in response to the beat of the drums. It certainly has been awhile since music has been so innocent and eager.
Live at the Wetlands’ strengths simultaneously translate into its weaknesses. With a tendency to explore tangents, Randolph and the Family Band consistently push songs past the ten-minute mark. The relentless energy may find the listener’s stamina struggling to keep up with the pace. There are no dull moments, no chances for the listener to catch a breather and regain his senses. For better or worse, Randolph pushes his tunes to the brink. It’s all or nothing.
Randolph is of a rare breed, using his music to bring persons together and celebrate his life experience. An album exhibiting the energy that Live at the Wetlands does is rare. Randolph conjures up such names as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Janis Joplin. In the glow of the debut release, he lives up to the hype surrounding his prodigious on playing pedal steel guitar. Live at the Wetlands is a on fire with energy and vision. Don’t get caught sleeping on this record.
