Rocktober '00s Song #5: "Run For Your Life" by Robert Randolph and The Family Band (2003)

We close out the first week of this year's Rocktober with Robert Randolph and The Family Band.  If you aren't familiar with the band, as the name implies, they're led by Robert Randolph, and some of the band members are, in fact, his relatives.  Randolph grew up playing the pedal steel guitar in church, and he wasn't even aware of secular music as a youth.  Thankfully, he eventually discovered the devil's music and made the crossover to the secular world.

Randolph is an amazing guitarist, and the rest of the band is very talented as well.  They are known for their energetic live shows, where band members often show off their musical versatility by switching instruments. I've seen them a couple times and can attest that they put on a great show.

I'm a sucker for a good guitar, especially a slide, so when I first heard of them, I bought their debut studio album, 2003's Unclassified.  It was a pleasant mix of blues, funk, and rock.  Some songs have vocals, and some are instrumental.  Some are slow and more bluesy, some are very high energy.  It's just a great album.

My favorite track off the album is the last one, "Run For Your Life," which is a rip-roarin' instrumental, highlighted by Randolph's frenetic guitar playing, but complemented by the organ and the rhythm section keeping up with the breakneck pace.  And just when you think it's over at about the 2:45-3:10 mark, it jumps right back in.  It very much reminds me of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Drivin' South" from the BBC Sessions, which is probably my favorite instrumental ever.