The book on sacred steel legend Robert Randolph has always been that his music is more on the secular side of the aisle than the religious, but on Brighter Days, there’s plenty of incredible music—gospel, rock, and otherwise—that’ll pretty much keep everybody happy, and bowing their heads in gratitude.
Sacred steel refers to the electric pedal steel guitar-driven music played in African American Pentecostal churches, going back to the 1930s. The music bubbled into the mainstream in the 1990s thanks to Sacred Steel: Traditional Sacred African-American Steel Guitar Music In Florida, a compilation album, originally released on cassette but eventually licensed internationally. That compilation introduced many to the rocking gospel sound. And it’s what got Robert Randolph, a New Jersey pedal steel genius, noticed, moving from the jam scene to a major label contract.
Randolph and the Family Band have held on to their gospel roots. “Baptize Me,” the album’s opening track, has a funky groove and an uplifting chorus. Randolph’s steel darts through the song while his bluesy voice anchors the song emotionally. In fact, between the passion of the vocals, and the beautiful steel guitar sliding through the tune, you might think you’re listening to a lost track from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The music might not work in a house of worship, but the message is spot-on. “Strange Train” is much more typical gospel, with a fast shuffle and a choir for background vocals. Randolph’s steel squeals through the song, like a soul enthralled in the ecstasy of catching the holy spirit.
If Randolph and the Family Band just did straight gospel for an album, everyone would be pretty happy, but they do mix up the genres. “Cut Em Loose” is more of a rock track, complete with some distortion on the pedal steel. It’s a cool song, mostly due to the hybrid sound created by Randolph. In many ways, his pedal steel sounds like a rock slide guitar, but the slides he’s able to make are longer and just different enough, that you’re not hearing the standard rock licks you might be expecting.
“Cry Over Me” is another pleasant surprise. It’s a rock ballad sung by his sister, Lenesha Randolph. It’s a pretty track, thanks partially to the restrained musical arrangement, featuring piano and organ, but mostly to Lenesha’s voice, which is bluesy with just a small hit of vulnerability. Randolph’s guitar work is lyrical, almost duplicating the complexity of his sister’s vocal lines.
Brighter Days is one of those albums that sounds like whatever you want it to. Most music fans will hear something they recognize in the music. The gospel isn’t particularly hard to find, but the rock, country, blues, soul, and funk are nice treats, seemingly appearing whenever the listener wants them. The songwriting is impressively strong, with no weak or filler tracks. While Randolph is the focal point, the Family Band, which, in addition to his sister, includes cousins Danyel Morgan on bass and Marcus Randolph on drums, is amazingly versatile in how they can move between styles so fluidly. Brighter Days comes from sacred steel, and remains rooted in it, but isn’t locked into it.
