Robert Randolph & The Family Band - Brighter Days (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Robert Randolph grew up playing sacred steel music – basically gospel played on pedal steel guitar – on the House of God church in Orange, New Jersey, and began taking his joyous, gospel-infused music out to clubs and into the world.

When it was time to record Brighter Days, after releasing the Grammy-nominated album Got Soul, Robert chose to work with producer Dave Cobb. Cobb is best known for his work with new country stars like Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, and Jason Isbell. Looking beyond anyone's expectations or his own preconceptions helped Randolph circle back to where it all began for him: church music.

Brighter Days is a full dive back to Randolph's gospel roots, mixing it up with blues, soul, funk, and the unmistaken sound of the pedal steel guitar. Robert Randolph makes the instrument weep, wail, scream and holler!

Highly recommended for fans of furious slide guitarists, like Sonny Landreth, Derek Trucks and the almighty Duane Allman.

"All of these songs kind of harken back to how we started, to being known as this musical family band that comes from the church and appeals to rock, blues, gospel and soul music audiences. We wanted that good gospel, blues, R&B feel, because that’s where we started and it’s good to not only remind people of that but to actively remember it ourselves. Dave Cobb is just a guy who likes to record good music and good songs. He wanted to do something that was fun but it also gives you a gospel feeling. He knows the history of our band, coming from church and giving that fun church feeling to people." (Robert Randolph)

Listed among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Robert Randolph first rose to national prominence with the release of Robert Randolph & the Family Band's 2003 studio debut, Unclassified. The album earned acclaim from the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today and attracted the attention of Eric Clapton, who invited the band to tour as a supporting act. 2006's Colorblind picked up where it's predecessor left off, receiving praise from Vanity Fair, Associated Press and the New York Times and spawning the hit "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That," which has been featured in the television shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Undercover Boss," as well as the films Stomp The Yard and The Game Plan. Most recently, Randolph received a Grammy nomination for "Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals" for his collaboration with The Clark Sisters on the track "Higher Ground" from the all-star collaboration album Oh Happy Day.

Tracklist:
1. Baptise Me
2. Don't Fight It
3. Simple Man
4. Have Mercy
5. Cut Em Loose
6. Second Hand Man
7. Cry Over Me
8. I Need You
9. I'm Living Off the Love You Give
10. Strange Train

Personnel:
Robert Randolph, guitar, keyboards, vocals
Marcus Randolph, drums
Lenesha Randolph, vocals
Danyel Morgan, bass

Produced by Dave Cobb