Randolph puts pedal to music

By John Benson

The musician’s new album goes back to his roots.

The rock gods must be smiling on Robert Randolph.

Less than a decade into his career, the pedal steel guitar virtuoso and his Family Band has risen to great heights. While the rock/funk act was critically praised for its 2003 album “Unclassified,” the outfit’s 2006 follow-up effort “Colorblind” featured impressive guest appearances by Dave Matthews and Eric Clapton.

Now the New Jersey-based group is opening, again, for a Clapton tour, which includes a show Saturday at Blossom Music Center.

“The thing was, he just wanted to have us out with him again and he wanted to do some shows,” said Randolph, calling from Montreal. “We talk a lot and go through music and share musical ideas, and he just wanted to have us out here and get something going just to have fun. So we’ve been opening up for him, and I’ve been jamming with him every night on stage.”

Whereas Clapton’s background is the blues, Randolph’s beginning stems from his years listening to Sacred Steel, which is the name of the style of pedal steel guitar played at his African American Pentecostal church growing up. So how exactly do these two musical worlds intersect?

“For me, I come from that gospel thing, from church and stuff a lot of the big rock bands and the legendary blues guys all took from gospel,” Randolph said. “That’s what made Robert Randolph become Robert Randolph. Because when you look at Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin, all of these guys took from the blues and gospel and made their own thing.

“So the fact that I could kind of share that side with [Clapton] and have a musical conversation with our guitars is a great thing.”

Sure, it’s a great thing indeed to include Eric Clapton on your “My Circle” list, but Randolph decided to go back to his roots on his upcoming next studio effort, which is as yet untitled and due out in September. While “Colorblind” showed the world which industry figures respected his work, the new album is hoping to do the same for the players that shaped Randolph into the guitarist he is today.

Specifically, members of his church’s Sacred Steel Tradition make guest appearances on the new disc, which includes the Sly & the Family Stone-influenced “I’m Not Listening” and the gospel rock-sounding “I Still Belong.” Randolph describes the latter song as a slow Bob Dylan-meets-Jimi Hendrix affair.

In terms of the new album, it sounds as though being around so many rock legends has Randolph thinking about his legacy. However, don’t confuse hubris for respect, which is what Randolph has for the music he loves.

“The last album was great and that took us a lot of places and so many different things, but this one we just sang about a different thing and we recorded it different,” Randolph said. “And by me bringing in older guys from my church, this album said this is who Robert Randolph learned from, this is how he evolved and these are his roots.”

He added, “And anybody who loves Sly & the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, guitar music and great energetic music, I’m sure will appreciate it.”