Courtesy: Merlis For Hire
It is finally official. Robert Randolph makes his grand return this Summer. The veteran musician will release his first new album in three years on July 16th via Blue Note Records. Twelve tracks make up Lickety Split. The longest of that set comes in at a little more than six minutes and the shortest (also the album’s closer) clocks in at just under three minutes. Randolph explained in an interview just what fans can expect from this highly anticipated new release. “This record has elements from all of our earlier records,” he said. “There are cool songs with lots of guitar and we can see the growth of our band in the new recordings.” “With this record we got to reconnect with the originality and creativity that fans fell in love with from the very beginning. This is the music that we started out playing and now that we are back on a roll I’m sure we won’t keep our fans waiting three years for the next album.”
Randolph played a very large role in this record. He co-produced the album and co-wrote nine of the album’s twelve tracks. The album kicks off with a high energy piece in ‘Amped Up’, which is then followed up by an equally fun song in ‘Born Again.’ Randolph commented on the song, explaining its evolution from a love song of sorts to a whole other being. “It’s about finding the joy again,” he said. “At first it was more of a love song, about the sense you get when you find the right person. Then, as we were recording this new music with a whole new sense of direction and feeling free again it all came together. It’s not a religious thing, it’s just new energy—which is really the old energy that I had at the beginning of my career.”
Randolph also commented on what is one his own favorite songs from the album, the LP’s title song. The album’s title track features his sister Lenesha on vocals. “What’s great about that one is that it’s something we actually played in church, just like that,” he says. “There’s a section in the service called the ‘Jubilee Jam Session Time’.
Both Randolph and Blue Note President Don Was were very happy in the announcement of both this album and Robert’s addition to the Blue Note family. “Robert Randolph is an American Original,” noted Was. “He has mastered what is, arguably, the most complex instrument in the world and developed a unique voice that is equal parts street-corner church and Bonnaroo. This album finally captures the energy and excitement of his legendary live performances.” Lickety Split hits stores and online outlets Tuesday, July 16th. The full track listing is below:
Track listing for Lickety Split:
1. Amped Up 3:18
2. Born Again 4:20
3. New Orleans 4.11
4. Take The Party 4:09
5. Brand New Wayo 4:36
6. Lickety Split 4:01
7. Blacky Joe 5:49
8. Love Rollercoaster 3:12
9. All American 2:43
10. Get Ready 5:07
11. Welcome Home 6:11
12. Good Lovin’ 2:55
Randolph kicks off a tour in support of his new album this Friday, April 19th. The tour kicks off at the Wanne Festival in Live Oak, FL. He also has three dates planned for North Carolina. He will perform at the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington, NC on May 10 and follow up that concert with a pair of dates in Beaufort, NC and Graham, NC respectively on May 11th and 12th. For a full listing of tour dates, fans can follow Robert Randolph on his official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/rrtfb or his official website, http://www.robertrandolph.net. Fans can also find him on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/robertrandolph and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rrtfb.
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