Robert Ranolph covers Will Gray for new album?

18 months ago
I was returning home from LA after working on some music with T Bone Burnett for my album Honeysuckle Wine.  When I got back, word was sent that T Bone was producing the Robert Randolph & The Family Band record and they were selecting songs for the album.  So, I sent T Bone 2 or 3 songs that I thought might fit the vibe.  They chose one song, “Don’t Change”, that I wrote with my former bandmate Jason Hamlin, BUT, they needed me to rewrite the lyrics of the song to fit more of the theme of the album.  I don’t know if you’re a songwriter or not, but I think re-imagining a song is one of the hardest things you can do.  It’s particularly hard when it’s a song you’ve sung hundreds of times, but haven’t thought about in 3+ years.
I wanted to get the song on the record though, so I started tearing it apart, and re-writing the lyrics.  They needed them in 3 days before they tracked the vocals, and they had already begun recording the drums and keys.  So, I finished the lyric and sent it off.  A couple of days later, I heard back from their crew that Robert and T Bone liked the changes, and everything was moving forward.

A year or so went by, and I never heard anymore about Robert’s record and when it would be coming out.  In that time, I moved to LA and continued work on my record, and started work on my documentary film project, Broke*.  Then I got a call from T Bone saying that the record label would like to record another song of mine, “Back to the Wall”.  So, I was really excited because I’ve been a fan of Robert Randolph for some time, and wondered what it would sound like to have him record a pop song like that, with T Bone producing.  The label also said that they wanted to feature me on the song as a guest and have me in the studio when they recorded, so that they didn’t “mess it up”. 

I was glad for the invite, but the record was in fine shape with T Bone, and Lenny Waronker, the Warner Brothers Records A&R, at the helm.  The studio time was crazy!  Robert, and his crew are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and unbelievably talented! 
We worked for about a week on the song, at The Village Studios in LA.  It was like I walked into a scene from a Tarentino film, and we were making the most amazing soundtrack.  So many people came through the studio to play on the record, or just to say hi to Robert & T Bone, and offered me some wonderful compliments.  Leon Russell, Tommy Sims, Lenny Waronker, Robbie Robertson, Jim Keltner, Jay Bellerose, Tom Whalley, and Steve Jordon just to name a few.

So, we recorded the song, and I think that it sounds great!  Robert plays an amazing solo, and his sister sang the lead vocals.  Very soulful!  Can’t wait for everyone to hear it. 

It’s the music business, so nothing is ever certain.  They could find some other song they love, record it tomorrow, and my songs gets bumped from the record.  But maybe we can all hope together that it makes the final cut. 

So, keep your eyes out for Robert’s new record in early 2010.  I just may have a couple of songs on it :-)