What people search:
 | Title : The Word
Author : Word
Release Date : 20010731
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $14.92
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Editorial Reviews :
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.
Buyer Reviews :
Being familiar with gospel, I was somewhat skeptical this CD would live up to it's billing. This rag tag group of musicians I've never heard of was going to impart the soulful sounds I grew up with (before I converted to Islam), with a PEDAL STEEL LEAD GUITARIST?! They may fool some people with their jive, but ain't no way they going to lay down God's music with that outfit. Organ, bass, guitar- those are your gospel instruments, but pedal steel.... well you might as well bring in a banjo, or mouth harp. That stuff belongs at revival meetings, along with healing hands, snake shaking, what have you. Forgive me, but pedal steel just seemed redneck. That is before I heard Robert Randolph shape those notes into spirits. The Holy Ghost speaks through that boys hands. The CD is truly bluesy, sometimes a little loud for my tastes, but during the quieter parts you can listen to notes that sound like choir voices. All the tunes have bouncy rhythms, and although no vocals are sung (they might check and see what Aretha's doing for the next album) they play over in your head after the first listen. Very upbeat and positive throughout, you feel as though you've actually heard the Word in a church ceremony. I would highly recommend this to all fans of gospel, blues, rock, instrumental music. It's the product.
(by kwame ibrahim)
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