Customer Reviews

No More Mr Lucky

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Bramblett undoubtedly had the seed capability of producing music of this breadth, maturity, and integrity way back when, in Goose Creek and Sea Level, or later in the nineties touring with Traffic. But it just as undoubtedly took years of experience living and playing to come up with No More Mr. Lucky. I found this album through hearing Bramblett sing "My Turn" off of Roger Glover's Snapshot (another great record, by the way) on Auburn, AL college radio (another question: Where has radio gone?). No More Mr. Lucky lives up to the most demanding expectations. It is, in my opinion, where Southern music could have gone had many excellent musicians not been diverted into the commercial, the derivative, the self-indulgent, or the bastardized. "God Was in the Water" and "Hard to Be a Human" are pretty typical of the whole, dealing with wit and wry humor with those questions of life and/or theology only hard livers or good fishermen can come to. "Get In Get Out" is a jive-... tour-de-force, as rhythmically and sonically current and probably better than anything you can find at your local Tower or Wherehouse or whatever. And so on. There's not a bad cut on the record. Davis Causey's tastefully atmospheric guitar work, the solidly-funky rhythm section of Joe Bonadio on drums and Michael Rhodes on bass, and Bramblett's consummately professional keyboard and sax work (not to mention his well-seasoned voice that moans and coaxes and inflects in a quintessentially deep-South-yet-sophisticated way, avoiding the easy veer off into a drawl) make this the kind of release that fulfills that vision many of us looked for for years--of what great Southern music (or any music, for that matter) could be.

Randall Bramblett's new CD is tasty ear-candy indeed...soulful Morphine-like deep baritone sax interludes/grinding B3 Hammond riffs/superb, hot, tex-flavored guitars streaking all over-fuzzy and warm...great fluctuating rythmns from a cracker-jack group of backup players...each complementing the most important highlight of the mix-Bramblett's slightly harsh throaty straight-from-the-gut vocals:) Whether its bluesy or jazzy or rockin or heart-felt singer/songwriter tunesmithing, it all reflects the veteran musicianship that exemplifies Bramblett and this delightful group of band cronies...you can't sit still listening to this stuff-you'll be shuffling around the room, boppin your head, weaving your feet around the floor and trying to be one with the music cause it's about as GOOD AS IT'S EVER GONNA GET!-those familiar with Bramblett's roots know what I'm saying: and it's time for the rest of you to get experienced and become a Vague Child walking... No Disappearing Ink here--->this is the real thing Honeychild:)

Randall Bramblett touched all the bases with this recording. The music tickles your mind, your heart and your soul. Between the toe tapping and finger thumping you are totally floored by the depth of the lyrics. In fact, throughout the CD you pause to think, what did he mean by that or did you catch those lyrics? It is clearly time that the rest of the world get a good old dose of Randall's music, it is one hell of an elixir for ones spirit. The tapestry this CD weaves from the intrumentation by his rock solid band to Randall's out of sight vocals is Hall of Fame quality. Do yourself a favor, go buy it and be the judge!

From the cover picture of a man dressed in a red suit, suitcase and hat in hand, we know we're in for a ride where things are not settled. Randall Bramblett's surging organ opens with great swamp rock on "God's in the Water"; and his sax croaks like a big wet bullfrog. The tasty Hammond organ and a jazz rap make "Get In Get Out" a great rock & jive number. "Lost Enough" gets soft with its chime-like opening, "All the miles you run only brings you to the one who moves you." Party sounds open the jovial midtempo "Peace in Here," "Walking round in a dead man's suit, gonna run into the naked truth somewhere out there." Bass and piano dominate "Sunflower" which has the great lyric, "laughing at the graveyard night." "Aching for a Dream" is a great road song memorable for its arrangement. Bramblett sings about "Coltrane coming in loud and clear," and a verse later we hear the trill of his sax bringing Coltrane to mind. Stinging lead guitar propels the pulsing rocker "Hard To Be Human, "First He made the mountains, then he filled up the sea, He lost his concentration workin' on you & me." "Strange Conversation" is a haunting midtempo tune with a Dr. John feel. "End of the String," a burning rocker, should be where the radio stations begin, "I know that we're still tangled up; I know these words can never be enough to bring you back again." "Vague Child" pulses, "Be nice while you're stirring up trouble." Acoustic guitar dominates the pretty ballad, "Disappearing Ink," "Flowers in the window, dishes in the sink, letters that you wrote me with disappearing ink." "No More Mr. Lucky" grasps for something to hold onto in a sea of instability. The turmoil makes for some great music punctuated with great arrangements, and that wonderful sax. Seek this one!

Randall Bramblett is a beat poet with jazz arrangements flowing from his fingertips. The lyrics are deep and Bramblett has put thought into them, "You run, but where are your answers?; You cry but where are your tears?; When you're lost enough, you'll find them."

The music is typical Bramblett: tasty southern-fried jazz-blues fusion on a plate of rock & roll garnished with solid, funky bass. In other words, Bramblett is a talented songwriter with a knack for perfectly matching his lyrics with just the right music. And what music is is!

Contrast the smooth, mellow sounds of "Sunflower" - a song that isn't really about buying a sunflower -- with the stronger, driven angst of "Aching for a Dream: and you will hear a sonwriter/musician who is bending all of his considerable talents to convey clear, meaningful messages.

You may have heard Bramblett's considerable multi-instrumental talents from his Sea Level days or on other Capricorn label Recordings (Allman Brothers, Cowboy, etc.). "No More Mr. Lucky" may be even better than "Thin Places," though both are nothing short of amazing.

(...)Water is such an easy metaphor for a songwriter to use...thunderstorms rolling in, floods washing everything away, rivers cascading, tides flowing in and out, it's no wonder someone left a cake out in the rain.

Randall Bramblett, however, takes a different route, and recasts God as a fly fisherman. Christians are supposed to be fishers of men, but what hymn has a lyric like the opening track God was In the Water:

God was in the water that day
Pickin through the roots and stones
Trippin over sunken logs
Tryin not to make his presence known.

Randall Bramblett doesn't write hymns, though. Randall writes songs that talk about the humans that live down the street from us, and the ones that sometimes share our beds. Sometimes one goes for the hook, sometimes one slips away.

No More Mr. Lucky, Randall Bramblett's newest release, is a welcome surprise, as he sings in Sunflower, "This is just another day sandwiched in between/All these other summer days/You know my life is so routine." In the song, Randall buys himself a sunflower to break out of the doldrums, but all we need to do is listen to his songs to accomplish the same thing.

No More Mr. Lucky is eleven tracks of soulful rock and bluesy R&B, delivered in Bramblett's slightly gritty vocal style, backed by longtime friend Davis Causey and Jason Slatton on guitars, with producer and fellow Athens resident John Keane (Indigo Girls, Vic Chesnutt). Bramblett, who along with Chuck Leavell fronted Sea Level, one of my favorite southern bands of the 70s, also did some time with Gregg Allman, Levon Helm, and Steve Winwood. Bramblett toured with Traffic in 1994, and how many musicians can boast Traffic on their resume?

It's a pleasure to hear Bramblett and Causey together again, and several songs recall their Sea Level days, especially Hard To Be A Human, but these songs are no mere re-hash of prior success. They build on the past, to be sure, but as he sings on the funky Get In Get Out, "all you can do is save yourself/leave the rest behind." These songs range from introspective (Peace In Here, Sunflower, the beautiful, anguished, Lost Enough, which could have been on Dark Side of the Moon) to rockers (End Of The String, Get In Get Out), but all are solidly anchored by a confident artist who doesn't have to try too hard, as he sings on Vague Child, "Give me room to be myself/See me just the way I am."

Good advice from someone who knows how to handle a water metaphor.

"No More Mr. Lucky" sounds better with each listen, not just because it becomes more familiar but also because details that may escape one's attention at first begin to emerge and sparkle. Whether it's the syncopated beat, sax lines, multiple guitars, solid bass, or smooth keyboards, there is something worth fixating on. Randall Bramblett has, in my opinion, crafted a fine batch songs ever, and he sings them sincerely with not irony, no attitude, in a relaxed folksy tone that draws on the Georgia landscape.

But Mr. Bramblett does not offer the listener either a repast of folksy, roots material or attempt to emulate any of the folks he has worked with as a sideman (e.g., Steve Winwood). These songs have a nice balance of glee and energy, infused but not overwhelmed with current trends.

Mr. Bramblett writes and sings about God, people, life, and death with the calloused and bemused insights that middle age provides those not trapped in bitterness. Where else can one hear the simple pleasure of drawing joy from a sunflower celebrated?

Hats off to the producer, John Keane, and the fellows in the band, particularly his fellow songwriters Davis Causey and Jason Slatton, who also provide most of the guitar. Grab this CD and if you have outdoor speakers, turn it up just enough to share with your neighbors.

I sought this out after hearing Get In Get Out on the Oxford Magazine sampler a couple years ago. After taking about a year to get over my disappointment that the whole album isn't quite the driving funk of that song, I've come to really like pretty much the whole album.

Randall is without a doubt America's most underrated singer-songwriter. According to my humble opinion he's right up there with people like John Hiatt and James Tayor. And he's a respected multi-instrumentalist as well...playing with Sea Level from '77 till '80, Widespread Panic and Steve Winwood among others. But most important the man writes pure magic!!! Great lyrics (thoughtfull, at times spiritual words....food for the soul), great melodic songs that you keep singin' over and over again when you've heard them, great musicianship and his voice is a real treat too. All of his releases on New West Records: No More Mr. Lucky, Thin Places and Rich Someday are highly, highly recommended. People, give Randall Bramblett a chance, you won't regret it for a sec...

I have to say that I usually don't care for reviews that emphasize a CD's lyrics. Often that means that the singer is awful or there's no melody or imagination in the playing. And far too often the lyrics that are praised are in fact pedestrian, contrived, or else poetry that has nothing to do with the music. Well, in this case, I have to say that Randall Bramblett has hit it perfectly. His lyrics are as rich and true as his voice, and the music and lyrics are utterly inseparable. I think "God Was in the Water" may be the best rock lyric ever penned. It suggests more than it says and continues to sound fresh no matter how many times you listen to it. There's mystery and revelation in that song, and you're never sure where the line between them is. Not every song on the album is as strong--how could they be?--but "Get In, Get Out" is a close second. A little more deliberate and clever in the lyrics, which is not necessarily a good thing, but still a great song. Bramblett's voice is the perfect tool to deliver these songs, too, blending world-weariness and soul and suggesting simple truths arrived at by a long, tortuous (and torturous) path. I think the reviewer who suggested that this isn't for teens has the right idea. To really appreciate this music, you have to have made some bad mistakes in ugly places. But there is redemption here, not just pain, and there's peace and beauty, too. The whole affair is greatly helped by terrific production that underscores the songs' intent and adds its own interest without ever intruding. There's just enough strangeness in the sound to bring out the mystery in the lyrics. In some ways it reminds me of Dr. John's "Walk on Gilded Splinters," although the music and sound is quite different. There are a few songs that seem more like filler to me, at least in comparison to the better ones, but the good ones more than justify buying the record. All in all a singular recording.