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A certain sense of melancholy haunts Randall Bramblett's latest
effort. No More Mr. Lucky. Even where the lyrics paint a some
what cheerier than normal picture, there's this moody,
intense undertow in the music that drags the listener in knee deep.
Is it the dark humor of Bramblett's seemingly obscure, cinematic
lyrics, his smoky vocals or his jazz-influenced organ and sax?
Whatever it is, No More Mr. Lucky is as darkly humorous and terribly
intriguing as the title suggests.
"It doesn't rock as much [as my other records do], it's more of a
moody one, but that's where we're at right now," the multi-instru
mentalist explains. "It pulls you in, but it doesn't beat you over the
head. Usually, when you start writing, it's easier to write a song
about yearning or being lost than it is writing a joyous one."
No More Mr. Lucky is all about that sense of yearning and feeling
of being lost, or at least looking for something that's staying stub
bornly hidden. Bramblett's lyrics, usually co-written with either The
Lures' Jason Slatton or Athens music veteran
Davis Causey or both, are full of
tales of battered souls searching for peace or beauty or simply
tru f h. The music only adds to the moody atmosphere. But No More
Mr. Lucky is not a depressing album; it's an uplifting listen, with the
image-heavy lyrics still tied to common, shared experiences,
bringing you out a bit more hopeful about this world of gray than
when you went in.
"I think we speak in two different languages: some of it's a
musical imagery, to set a tone, and some of it's more down-to-earth
conversational," Bramblett states. "I tike to throw in everyday kinda
language and then there's degrees of imageiy in there, and I try to
keep the cliches out [laughs]. I'm looking for everyday stuff to write
about. There's a lot of that in this record, because that's what I'm
dealing with."
Indeed, Bramblett gives off a sense of calm, both as a person
and as a songwriter. Part of it comes from his 30-plus years as a
professional musician on multiple levels. A native of Georgia, he was
originally influenced by the classic rock and soul of the '50s and
'60s, particularly Elvis and Muscle Shoals and Stax/Volt R&B, before
falling under the lyrical spell of the master tunesmith of the last 50
years, Bob Dylan. Moving to Athens in 1970 after stints in Macon
and Atlanta 3S a session man, Bramblett released a pair of albums
on the Polydor label. That Other Mile and Light Of The Night, and
worked with Cowboy, a group of Macon sidemen that released a few
albums in the early 70s. He toured with Gregg Allman's first solo
tour and worked with former Allman Brothers Band members in Sea
Level before joining tours with The Muscle Shoals All Stars, ex-Band
drummer Levon Helm and Steve Winwood, tven joining a reconsti
tuted version of Traffic in 1994.
He signed with the now-defunct Capricorn label for 1998's See
Through Me, a decidedly more rocking record, and recorded what
became No More Mr. Lucky with John Keane over a year and a half
ago. Capricorn's demise and other factors held up the record's
release until it was put out by roots-rock imprint New West. Joining
a roster that includes roadhouse rocker Delbert McClinton, neo-
Southern rock act Slobberbone, outlaw poet Billy Joe Shaver and
ethereal tunesmith Tim Easton, Bramblett says the new label's run
by "totally music people" and has high hopes for its success, though
he recognizes the limitations of such a record in today's music
market.
'"Where does it fit?'
That's the million-dollar
question," Bramblett
admits. "I don't know
where it fits in, and I
really don't think about
it. This is what we write
and if it fits, that's
great. I'm glad enough
to get a song out in the
first place. Sometimes
it's just hard to follow a
song to its end."
Bramblett credits a
lot of his current spate
of output—admirable
considering he spent
well over 10 years out
of the music busi
ness—to his song
writing partners
Causey and Slatton.
The pairs' creativity
and talent, Bramblett
says, spurs his own
muse, and their con
tributions only
encourage his need to
get out what he feels
like should be said.
"It's easier [to
collaborate] because
you get more ideas
going around,"
Bramblett says.
"Davis musically and
Jason lyrically help
me get started, and
they help me stay
creative because
sometimes I'm pretty slow. I need help
[laughs]." Bramblett says he and his band—guitarists Slatton and
Causey joined by local drummer Jeff Reilly and bassist Tom Ryan—
hope to do some touring behind the new record and get it some air
play, but he recognizes the age-old dilemma: you can't get airplay
without touring, and it's hard to book tours if the record isn't get
ting airplay. Still and all, he's more than pleased with the outcome
of No More Mr. Lucky, and while his songs are filled with souls
looking for what they need, as long as Randall Bramblett can keep
writing songs and making records, he's found his own personal sun
flower.
"Really, what keeps me going is the songwriting and the oppor
tunity to make records," he says. "To me, right now it's about
writing and the joy of being able to come up with a song and the
joy of hearing it on a record. It certainly isn't the money [laughs]."
Matt Thompson
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Jerry Joseph
an.liL Jackmcrmnns Jrana
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