“I don’t think that thiscomplicated and tragic mess we’re in these days will soon pass,” sayssinger-songwriter Randall Bramblett, reflecting on the state of the world. “I’mafraid things have gotten worse over the last decades in many ways. I have alot of sadness and pessimism about the state of our world–the climate,politics and issues of equality.”
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For someone who views this climate in such downtrodden terms, it’sheartwarming to hear that his songwriting hasn’t taken a depressing or gloomydownward trajectory. In fact, his new single “I’ve Got Faith in You” from hisupcoming new album Pine Needle Fire isas optimistic and caring as one can be.
Directed at someone who has reached the end of their rope, “I’veGot Faith in You” serves as an encouraging lifeline to combat these feelings ofdistress and despondency. Written a few years prior to the current state ofisolation and social distancing, it takes on even more significance in thesetimes. “I guess I’m still cautiously optimistic that in the long run, we’llkeep progressing and taking better care of our world and each other,” he says. “Thesedays, it doesn’t feel much like we’re progressing in that direction. That’s whyI feel that ‘… Faith in You’ is a message to me as much as anyone else. All thismusic is sad and hopeful at the same time…kind of like life can be, but there’sa spirit in these songs that reminds me that joy and beauty are always heretoo.”
He sings in his comforting, midrange register, “I’ve got faith inyou / Even if all the sad things that you say are true / Someday, these cloudswill all blow through/ I’ve got faith in you.” It’s a sentiment that soundsgenuine and trustworthy, a pierce of sunlight through those dark clouds we seemto be encountering all too often these days.
“Pine Needle Fireis filledwith people on their different journeys through life…experiencing loss, gettingup before dawn to go to work, knowing time is running out, remembering lostlove, hearing the wolf at the door and feeling lucky to be alive,” he explainsabout the songs on the album and the search for that silver lining throughoutall this. A seasoned veteran of over four decades releasing his own music aswell as composing, recording, and performing with Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt,Widespread Panic and Gregg Allman among others, it’s no surprise that a song aseffortless as this seemed to flow freely. “Jason Slatton and I wrote ‘I’ve GotFaith in You’ several years ago,” he says. “I thought it fit in nicely on therecord as a voice of encouragement and support.”
The rich and warm tones of the song are owed in part to a guitaron loan. “Wewere able to borrow Duane Allman’s original Gibson SG for that session and myold friend, Tommy Talton, used it to play a beautiful slide guitar solo,”Bramblett recalls. “Since Tommy knew Duane when they were both living in Macon,GA, using that guitar created a circle of sound and memory for us all. Ithelped capture the feeling of longing and hope that we needed to complete therecord.”
Arranging the session in the age of COVID-19 however was tricky.“Hearing Tommy play that guitar with his unique sound at Gerry Hansen’s studioin the middle of a pandemic was moving on a lot of levels,” he continues. “Itwas risky even getting Tommy to come over from Atlanta to Lawrenceville for thesession. He had been staying very close to his home since both he and his wifehave been struggling with health issues over the last few years. It was alsotouching to think that Tommy was playing that particular guitar since Duane wasour hero back in the early days in Macon.”
A road-weary musician whospent a good majority of his performing years on tour, Bramblett is cautiouslyhopeful for the future when he and his band can return in front of an audience.But he’s willing to try. “It’s definitely a new world now,” he says,considering the dismal outlook for live shows. “I’m not sure how we’ll reachpeople these days. All the gigs that we do have booked are scaled down andmostly outside. They all create a certain amount of anxiety and entail risksthat we never had to deal with before.”
Like many other musicians, he’s experimenting with the onlineperformance environment as well as scaled back live shows. “I think we’ll bedoing a lot of streaming videos and smaller safer venues,” he admits. “So muchdepends on how long the dangers of travel and association on a stage last. I’mafraid a lot of the old ways of touring and gathering are forever changed. Myfeeling is that we’ll be relying on our record company, New West, to help usfigure this all out. We’re all just learning as we go and hoping for the best.”
For now though, that’s all Bramblett can really do, but this new reality does nothing to ease the anxiety and feelings of isolation. “I’ve just recently become aware of the grief I’ve been feeling about losing the experience of playing with my best friends and connecting with our audience,” he admits. “I’m looking forward to just being able to get together with people without having to wear a mask or being afraid of getting too close. Humans need those close interactions with other humans. We need to be able to feel hugs and see expressions on faces. That’s what I miss most about life right now.”
Pre-Order Link:http://newwst.com/pineneedlefire
