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Robert Randolph Records:

Robert Randolph - Live At the Wetlands
By Dan Klefstad

Robert Randolph plays Sacred Steel, the pedal and lap steel guitar music of the black Pentecostal Church. The music began in the 1930s after members of this new church needed instruments that were cheaper than pipe organs. But the steel guitars added an earthy sound to the church liturgy. And the music they played was strikingly similar to the music found in places where alcohol was served. The music, of course, was the blues something churchgoers called the Devil's music. So, why play the Devil's music in church? The answer lies in a strategy Christian churches used ever since they stole the Christmas tree from Germanic pagans: If you want to save souls, you have to welcome the sinners.Fast forward to August, 2001 at a New York City club called The Wetlands. Robert Randolph, at 22, is already the most famous person ever to play Sacred Steel. He was raised in the House of God Pentecostal Church in Orange, New Jersey. Now, here he is with the Family Band, before a crowd of blues fans. And, yes -- alcohol is being served. On stage there's a drum kit, a bass guitar, Hammond organ and a pedal steel guitar. The set opens with "Ted's Jam", a high-energy jam that will send Allman Brothers fans back to their favorite interview clippings to find the source of all this slide music. Look no further than this album. Each song features long jams that facilitate drug-induced highs or speaking in tongues. Who knew that Saturday night and Sunday morning could be so much alike? Adding to the church-like feel is organ player John Ginty, who shines on "The March", a tune filled with purpose and a sense of moving to a higher place. "Pressing My Way" slows the pace and allows Randolph to explore the subtleties of his instrument. He also sings on this tune. I'd say his voice's greatest strength is that it sounds like anybody else's, and this makes him easy to identify with. Bass player Danyel Morgan sings back up. "Shake Your Hips" is like a John Lee Hooker boogie; it just keeps going and going and going. You may find your head bobbing and foot tapping long after the ten- minute length of this tune. The closer, "Tears of Joy", starts with mellow pedal steel work that quickly moves to clap-your-hands, stomp-your-feet speed. Then the pace slows, you begin to feel you're being taken on a trip somewhere, and before you know it you're back on your feet, dancing. It's music in the jam-band tradition of Dave Matthews and the Grateful Dead. Except in this case, you're hearing its gospel roots first-hand, from a player raised in a church that laid the foundation for all the music that followed.

(Dan Klefstad hosts the Saturday Blues, noon to three, on WNIJ - 89.5 FM)._____________________________________________________________________________