Take me away - A review of Bluebird by Randall Goodgame

So my church (with minor arm twisting from me) hosted a Randall Goodgame (hereafter RG) concert back in February.

See clip here:



A brief history.  I'm not sure I was aware of RG before receiving Slugs, Bugs, & Lullabies as a gift.  I might have been.  I was blown away by the album.  Laughing at "The Boy who was Bored" and weeping at "Beautiful Girl" for about the first 20x listening to it.  I can usually make it thru now.

So, being touched by the album I bought the RG album Hymnal.  I didn't care for it.  I listened a few times and gave it to a friend.  My recollected thoughts on it was that it was okay, but didn't get me hooked & I probably wouldn't buy another RG album.

Years and a few kids later the family ends up at a SB&L show and we bought War & Peace.  Good album; very good.

Then our church put on the SB&L Christmas program with some help from RG, and part of the whole arrangement was a concert in February as he was in the area.  The concert pushed me from "his music is okay" to "he's one of the best" in my view of RG music.  We bought one of the last copies of Bluebird that will have a proper case.  Although I'm sure if 1000 orders were to be placed he would find a way to produce more.  And honestly it is that good of an album it should be out there more.

And now my quick review of his album/ep "Bluebird".  Yeah, it came out in 2008 and I'm a few years behind.

I can't get enough of this album.  Many listens have passed my ears and I still seek it out.  It does for me everything music is meant to do - it draws out emotion.  When listening to a song I tend to focus first on vocal/lyrics.  It is what I want to pay attention to and generally if I hear the support (the wall of sound other than the primary vocals)  early it is because it is too strong, or doesn't match.  If they blend well I don't notice the support for quite some time.  I am blown away at every listening for the full songs that are present.

The songs:
Bluebird
All the Years
Heaven Waits
Reverie
California
Jubilee

The song that currently rattles my bones the most is "All the Years" (lyric portion is my current best guess from listening):
I've grown tired of all the years. I can feel my bones grinding down.  I used to cave to all my fears; but I've grown tired of all the years.  I have sung a thousand single songs, for all the world to sit and hear.  Candle wax has frozen up the keys that go right here.  And I have grown tired of all the years.

Take me away, take me away my love; can you find me a road I've never known. Take me away, take me away my love; I'm tired can you just take me home.

Something about that hits me like "Calgon, take me away".  The song elicits a feeling of being tired and ready for rest.  A call out for the day when we will hear "well done, good and faithful servant."  It builds to such a great apex of the calling out and ends with a content sigh.

It is such a wall of sound that is powerful and adds the to the power and feeling of RG's voice.  Great song.  Other songs are great as well, but this one is just the best to me.