This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Robert Randolph is not your standard-issue guitar hero. In fact, he isn’t even your standard-issue guitarist.
Instead of a typical six-string, he plays the 13-string pedal steel guitar. Instead of running around the stage, he stays seated at his instrument. And instead of being raised on a diet of rock riffs, Randolph grew up soaking in the soaring sounds of Sacred Steel gospel at his House of God Pentecostal church in New Jersey.
But if you think Randolph is some milquetoast Bible-thumper dusting off hymns for the oldsters, you’ve got the wrong idea. Luckily, either of the singer-guitarist’s two albums — the brand-spanking studio disc Unclassified and the just-reissued Live At The Wetlands — will set you right as rain about what Randolph really is: One of the most inspiring and astounding new guitarists to emerge in decades.
Able to coax choogling riffs, stinging licks and searing solos out of his axe with effortless grace, Randolph has already earned comparison to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan with his jaw-dropping playing. The icing on the cake, though, is his music — an enthralling, invigorating, irresistible cocktail of rousing gospel, blues, funk, soul, R&B and southern rock served up by Randolph and his Family Band (which features two of his cousins).
To hear Randolph’s sound dressed up in its Sunday best, check out the studio disc Unclassified, which is full of four-minute cuts that strike a perfect balance between authentic grit and radio-friendly hooks. To hear it dressed down for Saturday night, opt for Live At The Wetlands, which captures the road-tested group jamming, flowing and grooving through six long, sweaty and dynamic cuts, including a smoking cover of Slim Harpo’s Shake Your Hips. But whichever title you go for, be prepared — no matter how skeptical you might be going in, Randolph will make you a true believer by the time he’s through.
