Robert Randolph's New Album 'We Walk This Road' Set for June Release
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 16, 2010
Grammy-nominated Robert Randolph & The Family Band's highly anticipated new album We Walk This Road-the first since the band's acclaimed 2006 effort, Colorblind-is set for release this June on Warner Bros. Records. Produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, the album continues the Sacred Steel tradition for which Randolph has earned wide praise, including the New York Times, which applauds "his rip-roaring virtuosity and his gift for making his instrument sing without a word."
Randolph is also renowned for his passionate live performance-called "a spiritual celebration complete with audience participation and animated dancing" by the Chicago Tribune. Accompanied by his Sacred Steel mentors, Randolph will embark on the "Experience Hendrix Tour" beginning March 10 in San Francisco. The tour also features Los Lobos, Ernie Isley, Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and others.
Throughout the recording of We Walk This Road, Randolph and Burnett worked closely together as archivists, discovering songs-decade by decade-from the 20th century American music canon. The songs they uncovered, ranging from blues and rock to field recordings and gospel, serve as the inspiration for the 11 songs on We Walk This Road. Recorded at the Village Recorders and Electro Magnetic Studio, the album includes "If I Had My Way" (featuring Ben Harper), "Salvation" (featuring Leon Russell), and reinterpretations of Prince's "Walk Don't Walk," Bob Dylan's "Shot Of Love," (featuring Jim Keltner, who played drums on the original version) and John Lennon's "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama" (featuring Doyle Bramhall II).
Of the album, Randolph says "T-Bone and I drew a lot from the past while we were making this record, but I think it really is a record for these times. I think the fact that I, as a young guy who likes hip-hop and gospel, am reaching back into this rich history of American roots music will appeal to people who are fifteen, and people who are seventy-five years old. T-Bone opened my eyes to great archival music. He's a link between the past and the present."
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.
Robert Randolph TOUR DATES
*"Experience Hendrix Tour"
†Featuring B.B. King, Buddy Guy, AlBert Lee, The Allman Brothers Band and more
March 11 Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA*
March 14 Paramount Theatre Denver, CO*
March 16 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, MO*
March 17 Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis, MN*
March 18 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL*
March 20 Fox Theatre St. Louis, MO*
March 21 Riverside Theatre Milwaukee, WI*
March 23 Civic Theatre Akron, OH*
March 24 Wellmont Theatre Montclair, NJ*
March 25 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ*
March 27 Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA*
May16 First Flush Festival Wadmalaw Island, SC
June 13 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
June 26 Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival Bridgeview, IL†
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