We Walk This Road

iTunes Review

Robert Randolph hired T-Bone Burnett to produce his latest album and to educate Randolph on the secular blues music that he was never allowed to listen to as a child. Take Randolph and his Family Band’s instrumental prowess and throw it into the deep blues and you have an amazing combination. Randolph and his band are young men discovering a fresh new terrain, so whether it’s Blind Willie Johnson’s “If I Had My Way” sending Randolph to the Mississippi Delta with guest Ben Harper, or John Lennon’s “I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama,” with guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, it all comes out with a blistering intensity that’s hard to replicate. Prince’s “Walk Don’t Walk” has a restrained funk to its pop-friendly production. Bob Dylan’s “Shot of Love” sounds like the heavens opening with Randolph synching things up to his gospel roots. The originals, written with Burnett, fit in nicely alongside this roots exploration. “Dry Bones” is excellent modern electric blues. The deluxe version comes with three worthy bonus cuts that further drive home the fact that this is one serious collection of musicians likely to be with us for a very long time.