Jon Randall – Walking Among The Living
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Posted On July 1, 2005
That a multi-faceted artist like Jon Randall gets another shot at a major-label deal speaks of Nashville’s current move toward embracing distinctive singer-songwriters. That Randall can then release an album as focused on depth as Walking Among The Living suggests country music could be undergoing yet another creative surge.
Randall, of course, once seemed destined for stardom. As the young member of Emmylou Harris’ 1990s acoustic outfit the Nash Ramblers, he gained mentoring from Sam Bush, Al Perkins, the late Roy Huskey and especially the bandleader herself. When the Ramblers put on the brakes, Randall signed RCA and appeared poised to follow Vince Gill’s path as a skilled instrumentalist and songwriter with a feathery voice.
Then the wheels came off, as Randall’s subtle strengths didn’t match Music City’s preoccupation at the time with chest-thumping obviousness. He created a series of albums that were barely released, if at all, before fading into oblivion.
Co-writing the award-winning hit “Whiskey Lullaby”, released here in a version even more somber than the Brad Paisley-Alison Krauss duet, boosted Randall’s standing again. He’d already signed with Epic by then, based on songs he brought to the table and his always-remarkable tenor.
On Walking Among The Living, Randall gets to stick to his strengths. He’s no longer fishing for a hit, instead relying on songs that probe tender emotions and delve into life’s traumas and possibilities.
Indeed, the record may be too somber for its own good; the serious subjects and slow-moving tempos grow oppressive at times. But Randall lines up some powerful acoustic pickers and gives them focused arrangements that leave room to play, and with co-producer George Massenburg, he creates an ethereal style that has strong roots in bluegrass and California country-rock.
He kicks up his heels on some level-headed uptempo tunes that are sprightly more than stomping, but the strengths are reflective ballads such as “Lonely For Awhile”, “In The Country” and “I Shouldn’t Do This”, which will appeal to those drawn to the tastefulness of Gill and Krauss.
