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By Kerry Heffernan
A veritable cornucopia of side projects and assistantships, Randall Bramblett has built a resume that rivals some of the most notable musicians of our time. His side-man lineage ranges from stints with down-home southern rockers like Gov't Mule and Widespread Panic, to projects with R&B soulsters like John Hammond and Johnny Jenkins. Many who have seen him on stage with Mule, Panic, Greg Allman, etc. recognize Bramblett for his superb saxophone work; the man puts a hurtin' on that instrument. But he is also proficiently versed in the languages of piano, guitar, and organ, all of which make a resounding appearance on Bramblett's third solo presentation, Rich Someday.
Bramblett, a native Georgian, teamed up with long-time musical partner in crime and fellow Georgia boy Davis Causey to develop this album. The rooted and sturdy tracks that confidently extend from this collection all speak of longing and desperation. Melancholy ballads such as "Where Are You Tonight" and "Hate to See You Go" dominate this record, and upon first listen, it would seem that this album is nothing more than a typical soundtrack to a love gone wrong. But after a deeper examination of the lyrics and the formation of the notes themselves, a more developed picture begins to form. The album is about a love gone wrong. It is about loss and pain and a yearning for what one cannot have, but it doesn't singularly apply to love. The music speaks of a loss of life. Or perhaps more appropriately, the music speaks of the loss of an interest in life fueled by the constant search for the tangible material items used to make one happy, which so often lead to a more isolated emptiness.
The lyrics in the song "Fading" portray this desperate feeling that only one thing in life can make the character happy:
If I had a million roses
I would drop them at your feet
Draw your name across the blackboard sky
If that would bring you back to me
The sadness of the song is only further perpetuated by the sighing of Bramblett's acoustic guitar and the delicate movement in the keys. Another example of this longing for the all-too-tempting possessions of the world comes from the album's raucous title track, "Rich Someday." A down-and-dirty rock-n-roll tune that - with the help of some mean 1950s style guitar riffs and Bramblett's raspy voice that sounds more like a 60-year-old black man than a skinny southern white boy - sounds like it came straight out of the cabin of Johnny B Good. The whole premise of the song is the character's thoughts as he looks around, sees what the other folks have, and dreams of the day when he'll have it too - the day when he'll finally be somebody. One of the highlights of the entire album is the tragic "Queen of England," a song about the confusion of the meaning of events in the character's life. The tune is appropriately dotted with intelligently obscure lyrics such as:
I had a dream
It don't make sense
I saw my savior
Tangled up in a barb wire fence
It is in this song that Bramblett's saxophone boastfully rears its gargantuan head, deep bass notes audaciously billowing from the depths of the instrument's orifices. The fanatical melody of the song melds perfectly with the character's uncertainty that is strongly emanating through the lyrics, and the bewilderment that consumes this album only grows stronger.
Although this album may seem like a drag, it's the bewilderment that makes it so amazing. It's the songs' innate ability to pull the listener into the characters' worlds. When listening, you can actually feel all of these emotions. There's nothing better than a song that can make you feel what the character feels. Emotions come along with the territory whether they are joyous or despondent, but only a true musician can bring them out. With Rich Someday, Randall Bramblett makes those emotions explode.
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