Randall Bramblett Band

—Bluesy and rollicking, alternating his huffing vocal with a steamy electric guitar workout. I guarantee you will listen. - MUSIC ROW MAGAZINE

For his third album on New West, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett delivers another terrific set of intelligent, folk-inflected Southern rock. Drummer Gerry Hansen replaces Michael Rhodes as producer and he helps position the sound to be more direct and stripped down than on past Bramblett releases. There are fewer loops and not as much layering of instruments, which makes the approach more immediate, but no less affecting. Bramblett's honey and grits voice perfectly conveys the feeling of loss that runs through the melancholy lyrics of tunes such as the lovely "The More You Fade," "Hate to See You Go," and the opening "Where Are You Tonight?" That's not to infer that these songs are depressing. On the contrary, the predominantly midtempo arrangements and melodic choruses are inviting, and even on the forlorn "Stupid Shoes" the swampy vibe is as compelling as anything from ex-employer Steve Winwood. Each track is a mini-story as Bramblett's earthy yet often dreamy lyrics and rootsy instrumentation enhance the muted colors. The "oil spot" that leads off "Oil Spot" is obviously a metaphor for something much different, but it is never explained. There are a few more rockers than usual, in particular the rollicking title track and "Queen of England," the only tune where Bramblett unleashes his sax. Instead, Bramblett's keyboards and acoustic guitar flavor the songs, all of which are beautifully arranged and immaculately, but not soullessly performed. Hansen's creative drum fills and longtime associate Davis Causey's less-is-more electric guitar solos hug the curves of the material and flesh out the melodies. Bramblett's moody ballads dominate with "It's Alright," one of the most stunning tunes despite its rather simplistic title. Repeated plays yield increased enjoyment as the songs gradually take hold and the lyrical turns and musical subtleties like the humming background vocals in "Somebody Like Me" become more apparent. For an artist that has stayed under the radar for too long, Rich Someday deserves to be the album to put talented veteran Bramblett on the map. - AllMusic - Hal Horowitz

Randall Bramblett has spent much of his musical life living in the shadows. His role as a hired hand - on piano, organ and sax - for live tours with acts like Traffic, Sea Level and Greg Allman, has kept Bramblett's bread buttered. But his string of periodic solo CDs reveals him as fully ready to hold center stage himself.
Bramblett's latest CD, "Rich Someday," stands with the mature wing of American singer-songwriters, from John Hiatt to Steve Earle. His melodies are sturdy as oaks, his lyrics chiseled with grizzled observation.

In "Rich Someday" he wryly dreams about a world he knows is dying. The title of another song dubs life a "beautiful blur."

But Bramblett's greatest talent is his musky rasp of a voice. He has the soul of Paul Rodgers, but with more sensitive shading. After suffering long gaps in his CD releases, Bramblett has lately stepped up their pace. Let's hope it's a trend.

- NY Daily News - Jim Farber

An in-demand sideman with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton and the Allman Brothers, Randall Bramblett displayed considerable songwriting chops on his previous solo outings. On Rich Someday, Bramblett applies his earnest rasp to songs that bounce from blue-eyed soul to R&B to Americana, each dense with skillful playing. The title song, a swampy blues-rocker driven by drummer/producer Gerry Hansens’s catchy beat, is the only tune to rise above midtempo, but the others – particularly “Where Are You Tonight” and “Beautiful Blur” – have an urgency that adds speed, even the singer songwriter ballads (“Concrete Mind”, “It’s Alright”). A highlight is “Oil Spot”, with a sing-along chorus and a pair of guitar solos in the bridge that’ll have you hitting “repeat”. - No Depression - Buzz McClain

With searing guitar solos, rollicking (and occasionally churchy) keyboards, call-and-response choruses, and acoustic/electric interplay, Randall Bramblett and his whip-crack band evoke the era of '70s Southern rock in which he came of musical age. Yet the down-home philosophizing of the older-but-wiser songcraft shows the benefits of decades of additional maturity and experience. These meditations on love and loss, impermanence and eternity, are never pretentious and often profound. Bramblett casts life as a "Beautiful Blur," finds some world-weary resilience in "Rainville," vows to persevere wherever his "Stupid Shoes" lead him, and convinces in the title track that the desires that motivate most folks mean nothing. In "It's Alright," the tender "The More You're Fading," and "Hate to See You Go," he writes the sort of bittersweet balladry that both engages your brain and breaks your heart. Though Bramblett has mainly been known as a multi-instrumentalist sideman (with a résumé that ranges from Gregg Allman to Traffic), this is the work of an exceptionally thoughtful and soulful singer-songwriter. - Amazon.com - Don McLeese