Album: Rich Someday /  Artist: Randall Bramblett /  13 tracks: 57:07/   New West Records

If you are looking for some music that is a little different than you are likely to hear on your local FM radio band, you may want to give a listen to Randall Bramblett’s Rich Someday, from New West Records. The Athens Georgia singer/songwriter blurs the lines between southern rock and the laid back, unplugged blues-rock made popular by Eric Clapton. His mellow ballads and gravelly vocals provide a welcome alternative to harder driving rock songs that so often dominate the airwaves today, not that we are against those types of songs, but Bramblett offers us another quality option where too often one has been lacking.

Bramblett penned or co-wrote all of the tunes for the thirteen tracks that appear on Rich Someday, and one of his best (co-written with Buddy Blackman), is “Silence,” an introspective love ballad, on which he accompanies himself with an acoustic guitar, and on organ. Bramblett’s B 3 organ chops on “Somebody Like Me,” make this song worth listening to, as he, brush strokes the lyrics in purple shades. “Somebody Like Me,” is a search for self-identity, pitched against the decision to withdraw, from the intrusions of the world around us. As he is throughout this CD Bramblett is supported on “Somebody Like Me,” by some fine electric guitar work from Davis Causey and Mike Hines, with Michael Steele building a strong bass line and Gerry Hansen wielding the drumsticks.

Unlike some artists who go on journeys of self discovery, by exposing darker themes or saddling the listener with depressing lyrics, Bramblett’s songs such as, “Fading,” keep things on a lighter plane, and the ethereal sound of Hines’ high strung acoustic guitar contribute to creating that mood.

“Rainville,” almost, but not quite, crosses the line into country music, aided by Causey and Hines’ slide guitar work.

For those of you not familiar with the name Randall Bramblett, you will easily recognize the names of artists with whom he has performed and recorded, including, Steve Winwood, Gregg Allman and Levon Helm.  Those influences seem to find their way into the song “Queen Of England,” a tune which features some sizzling electric guitar riffs, and the multi-talented Bramblett doubling up on organ and saxophone.

For the most part the tempo is easy, the word pictures vivid, the instrumentals scrumptious and the vocals are to die for.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Randall Bramblett’s splendid CD Rich Someday.

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Reviewed January 2008