1. |
What If?
03:42
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WHAT IF?
words & music by John Ratts & Eric Kern, intro by Brock Harris
Who can say what the future holds
No one can
No one knows
I couldn’t tell you if our time will come
Or what tomorrow brings for anyone
I’ll turn the tables
Hand it back to you
Can you tell me what dreams might come true
If you could look into a crystal ball
Read the tea leaves and then tell us all
What if, What if
I found you
and you wanted me
And I wanted you
And we were meant to be
What if I could lift the veil and see
Our destiny
Throw the bones
Read my palm
Please tell me
Tell me more than just wait and see
Wishing wells behind hidden doors
Fortune tellers know I’m wishing for
What if, What if
I found you
and you wanted me
And I wanted you
And we were meant to be
What if I could lift the veil and see
Our destiny
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2. |
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N.S.A.
(Kern/Ratts)
Since you've been gone away
The days have been partly sunny all the time
Since you're in yesterday
The way is getting easier to find
I don't mind telling you, feels like a second wind
I don't mind saying I'm a phoenix, baby, born again and
Since we've been N.S.A.
Things are a little better every day
So now its a brand new day
and brand people up fill up all my time
I'm putting the past away
Freeing up my soul, freeing my mind
I don't mind saying I feel stronger than I've ever been and
I don't mind telling you I'm feeling like I'm going to win and
Since we've been N.S.A.
Things are a little better every day
N.S.A.
Attach no string to make love linger
N.S.A.
Don't put a ring around my finger
Maybe some other day
But today we've got to keep it N.S.A.
Hold on
Why rush "right" in to "wrong"?
Hold on
Our love can still be strong
Hold on
Well just like in Bethlehem
A brand new star is lighting up my way
'Cause babe I'm a changing man
If change is good, then good is where we'll stay
I don't want to tie you down
We both need lifting up
Were walking on higher ground
When walking with no ties that bind us
Tomorrow's another day
But for now we better keep it N.S.A.
N.S.A.
Attach no string to let love linger
N.S.A.
Don't put a ring around my finger
At the end of the day
We're free to be together N.S.A.
We're free to be together N.S.A.
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3. |
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GIVE IN TO LOVE
(Ratts/Kern)
I'm dying for something I've never had
It's got me aching,
a dull pain that stabs
into my heart and straight through my soul
It's more than a feeling
or so I'm told...
Maybe I'm crazy, or soon to be
A fever is rising inside of me
and I would give everything just to know
should I keep hanging on
or just let go
And give in to love
like a fairy tale I've heard
give in to love
like a poet full of words
and thoughts of you, only you,
my world's coming undone
I want to give in to love
Thunder and lightning,
fire and rain,
earthquakes and eruptions:
love's other names.
forces of nature can't be denied
just like the real thing,
I feel it growing inside
Should I give in to love
like a fairy tale I've heard
give in to love
like a poet full of words
that's what I am, all I am,
an anthem unsung
I want to give in to love
I need to give in to love
like a fairy tale I've heard
give in to love
like a poet full of words
and thoughts of you, only you,
my world's coming undone
I've gotta give in to love
Should I give in to love
like a fairy tale I've heard
give in to love
like a poet full of words
that's what I am, all I am,
an anthem unsung
I want to give in to love
I need to give in to love
like a fairy tale I've heard
give in to love........
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4. |
A Pretty Good Run
04:12
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A PRETTY GOOD RUN
(Kern/Ratts)
Well these days were not half bad
They only made me halfway sad
And I've got half a mind to tell you it's ok
But the bus is pulling out
So I suppose I’ll be en-route
Before the sun comes up on your pretty good day
It only took us half a lifetime
to feel pretty far away
So I’m texting you to say…
It was a pretty good run
It was a pretty good ride
You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes
And I’m completely dismayed
Pretty sorry to say
It was a pretty good run baby
I miss you already
Well we shared some pretty good times
And we shared some pretty similar pain
I’ve got a pretty good mind to hold tightly to your pretty frame
I’m more than halfway at a loss
At how this world makes fools of us
With every roadblock we construct in our own way
So Im calling you to tell you
if I’ve nothing else to say
I’m so glad I saw your face
It was a pretty good run
It was a pretty good ride
You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes
And I’m completely dismayed
Pretty sorry to say
It was a pretty good run baby
I'll miss you always
Was it our mistakes
or a mix of fate and taking us for granted
That found me on a west bound greyhound
letting go of you?
It was a pretty good run
It was a pretty good ride
You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes
And I’m completely dismayed
Pretty sorry to say
It was a pretty good run baby
I’ll miss you always
I'll miss you always
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5. |
Don't Stop Your Love
02:45
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DON'T STOP YOUR LOVE
(Ratts/Kern)
Another day anticipating, time goes by, tick tock...
I've got a little rhythm in my head, keeps running, won't stop
I've been thinking and contemplating
I've done everything right
Now you're hesitating
Come on, come on babe don't keep me waiting
Don't stop your love
Keep it coming, pour it on me
Believe it, I need it
Keep it coming please
I love the release
Don't stop your love
Silence like a broken wall clock, time goes by, no tick tock
Affection is a perfect refrain, please play it again
You've been thinking, and you've been saying
That I'm pre-occupied and I'm procrastinating
I'm sorry baby, I won't keep you waiting
Don't stop your love
Keep it coming, pour it on me
Believe it, I need it
Keep it coming please
I love the release
Don't stop your love
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6. |
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I FEEL GREAT
(Kern, Burton, Ratts)
we made a promise long ago
we would never wind up strangers
(we should be) lying in love's afterglow
not all swept up in life's changes
now that we've locked it all away
was it not enough to fall apart?
you broke my heartbreak
now that we've finally turned the page
would you please just go away
i've got nothing left to say
it's over and it's okay
another monday afternoon
another hour for feeling grateful
another waxing gibbous moon
to refortify the faithful
now that we've locked it all away
was it not enough to fall apart?
you broke my heartbreak
now that we've finally turned the page
would you please just go away
i've got nothing else to say
it's over and i feel great
you don't have to listen to me sing this song
you don't have to be my friend
you don't have to tell me anything at all
baby, this is the end
now that we've locked it all away
was it not enough to fall apart?
you broke my heartbreak
now that we've finally turned the page
would you please just go away
i've got one last thing to say
it's over and i feel great
it's ok, i feel great
i feel great
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7. |
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HOWL AT THE MOON
(Ratts / Stringfellow / Kern)
I'm not the same when you're not here
the minutes are hours, the hours are years
I finish my coffee, clean the house
I do all the laundry, you're still out...
what can I be, what will I do
if I can't have my time with you
loneliness my only friend
when you're gone I'm lost again
I'll pick flowers in the light of day
I'll write poems when you go away
chase butterflies in the afternoon
I'll kill some time while I wait for you
and if you're not back soon
I'm gonna howl at the moon
where do you go when you go away
you come and go but you never stay
did I ever give you any reason to lie?
I hear the ticking of the clock
I binge watch some Netflix then pace the block
I jump to the window when car go by
I'm losing my mind and you know why...
what can I be, what will I do
if I can't have my time with you
loneliness my only friend
if you leave me I'm lost again
I'll pick flowers in the light of day
bring them home and watch the colors fade
I'm chasing rainbows every time it rains
what once was familiar's getting kinda strange
and if you're not back soon
I'm gonna howl at the moon
They say I'm crazy, it's all in my head
oh, but you're real to me, you're real to me
you're real...
I set the table, pour the wine
sure that you're showing up this time...
what can I be, what will I do
'cause there's nobody else like you
if you aren't who I thought you were
then what's a boy to do?
I'll pick flowers in the light of day
I'll write you songs that you'll never play
I'll go hungry and I'll never sleep
when I go in, I go deep
and if you don't show up soon
no if you don't come home soon
yeah, if I don't find you soon
I'm gonna howl at the moon
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8. |
Triple Play: Saturday
00:49
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TRIPLE PLAY: SATURDAY
(Kern, Ratts)
Saturday found me crying
about a love that is dying
tears that flowed like an ocean
like you away from me
you were one in a million
but I'm still one of the lucky ones
Saturday's silver lining
finding what Sunday brings...
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9. |
Triple Play: Best Day
00:49
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TRIPLE PLAY: BEST DAY
(Ratts, Kern)
had a dream last night
it seemed so real
a fantasy i can't conceal
and then i woke up
and here i am lying in my bed
reality outside my head
i need to get up
and who knows what the day will bring
i could do most anything
who knows what i'll find
it might just be the best day of my life
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10. |
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TRIPLE PLAY: ROCK BESIDE ME
(Kern, Ratts)
i want you to rock beside me
and i need you right behind me
for all we do and all we can be
i want you to rock beside me for life
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11. |
Triple Play: Heartsick
01:42
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TRIPLE PLAY: HEARTSICK
(Ratts, Kern)
another day's been kept with your shuffle step
you make your slow way home
another evening before you
another few hours spent alone
you've got a school to pass, the children laugh
there is wonder in the world
but for you life's secret meanings
have grown tired, stale, and old
the siren sings
and the future brings heartache to everyone
with a heart with a hope with a love
so you think on her and drink on her
stay up the whole night through
when the morning light comes shining
you're still wrestling with the truth
so you drink no more
and think some more
and sleepwalk through the days
for the ones left still before you
are just notes held out to fade
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12. |
Triple Play: Days & Days
00:55
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TRIPLE PLAY: DAYS & DAYS (BRIDGE)
(Kern, Ratts)
restless ways turn into lazy days of summertime
another crime of wine and love and song
will you drink with me
will you sing with me
will you love me until all our days are gone?
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13. |
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TRIPLE PLAY: WHEELS OF LOVE
(Ratts, Kern)
she was a perfect contradiction
a mystery of fact and fiction
he was a model of self control
they never met up at a roadshow
or crossed paths chasing rainbows
she was a little bit too old
thats just how it goes
just a few hellos in passing
on a painting everlasting
bold strokes, deft lines, fast roles
he tried a sidestep and got smashed up
she went to sleep and never woke up
and so the world will never see
the endless possibilities
co-starring in the heavens
everlasting legends
two fallen stars upon the ground
we're all artists painting
life's a canvas waiting
and the wheels of love go round and round
yeah, the wheels of love go round
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14. |
Triple Play: Every Time
03:08
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TRIPLE PLAY: EVERY TIME
(Kern, Ratts)
i used to hurry too much
i used to worry too much, too
but now i've got you
and i don't need to do that
i used to get all uptight
i used to drink every night through
but now it's alright
because i drink each night with you
it took a lot of bad days until i found my way to you
so this time are you going to be mine
baby, are you going to be mine?
every time it bends my mind
how everyday i'm blown away
I can't deny
she does it to me every time
i used to look for the signs
i used to practice my lines too
and try to be smooth like i knew what i was doing
it took a lot of bad days until i found my way to you
so this time are you going to be mine
tell me are you going to be mine?
'cause every time she bends my mind
and every nerve responds to her
like fireworks
she does it to me every time
and every day blows me away
like tides and sea and gravity:
reliably
she does it to me every time
every night she fills the sky
and mountains shake and stars collide
she blows my mind
approximately everytime
and every day blows me away
her sky and sea, her autumn breeze
overwhelms me
unquestionably every time
every time it bends my mind
how every day i'm blown away
like northern lights
she does it to me every time
every night she fills the sky
and mountains shake and stars collide
like moon and tides
she does it to me every time
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15. |
Lake Paradise
03:25
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LAKE PARADISE
(Kern/Ratts)
I can still remember when I was twenty two
it didn't take a minute for me to fall
to fall in love with you
the day really started when the workday's finally through
and i can hear it calling now
i've got to make it back somehow
but the real world's pressing every day
responsibility
they say "put those childhood things away
come to work with me (stress with me)
work with me (stress with me)"
I'm getting back....
I'm getting back to your sunny eyes
on starry nights by the waterside
I'm getting back to where the pace is slow
Did you ever wake up and not know you're alive?
stuck in autopilot when it really should be you
you should drive
when you're going through the motions
and it all feels far away
can't you hear it calling now?
I've got to make it back somehow
though stress is building every day
I reject it outright-ly
Let's put those toxic things away
come dance with me, dance with me
dance with me, dance with me
I'm getting back....
I'm getting back to your sunny eyes
on starry nights by the waterside
I'm getting back to where my ship comes in
I'm looking out for my dirt road west
some friends and some Milwaukee's Best
I'm getting back to Lake Paradise again
They may say it's a crisis of midlife
but I know its my soul that calls me back to Paradise,
Paradise.....
I'm getting back....
I'm getting back to your sunny eyes
on starry nights by the waterside
I'm getting back to where the sun shines in
I'm looking out for my dirt road west
some friends and some Milwaukee's Best
I'm getting back to Lake Paradise again
I'm getting back to Lake Paradise again
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16. |
Shake The Cage
02:47
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SHAKE THE CAGE
(Ratts, Kern)
I'm just a monkey working in a lab
I've got the feeling that I'm being had
and if I'm lucky there's a purpose that I
really don't understand
I've been poked and prodded all day long
I've been used and I just know its wrong
No I don't, I don't wanna be experimented on....
I've been patient, I've been cool
I've played along as they expect me to
I've been watching, waiting, and scheming my escape
Grab the bars and shake the cage
Reach for the keys and shed your chains
Make your move and split the scene
I know you know just what I mean
"cause you've been thinking the same
Yeah, grab the bars and shake the cage
Well I'll put one more chalk mark on the wall
I won't look back as I run down the hall
I'm gonna give it all up, after giving my all
I was patient, I was good
I played along just like a caged monkey would
Still all the while I was waiting
For just one little mistake...
Grab the bars and shake the cage
Reach for the keys and shed your chains
Make your move and split the scene
I know you know just what I mean
"cause you've been thinking the same
Yeah, grab the bars and shake the cage
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17. |
Show Me How
03:03
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SHOW ME HOW
(Purol/Kern/Ratts)
In darkness, to still laugh aloud
to mine the silver from the cloudy day
to not complain
another day is here to show me how
to take a step when hope is grey
against all odds to still stay in the game
to maintain
another day is here to show me how
the sun checks in
when we begin
to send it out again
from numbness, to feel love again
to rise up from the ashes of the end
to transcend
another day is here to show me how
the sun checks in
when we begin
to send it out again
an open door
a future store
a chance to find a better life
to move beyond my selfish plight
to lift up hearts and light them with desire
to inspire
another day is here to show me how
another day is here to show me how
another day is here to show me how
another day is here to show me how
another day is here to show me how
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18. |
I'll Be Waiting For You
04:05
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I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU
(Ratts, Kern)
Lizzie, you're so pretty that i'm standing on a corner
waiting on a wish for some weather made to order
staring at the clouds hanging in a clear blue sky
i don't wonder why i'm sure everyone knows
why love comes and goes whenever you walk by
a little rain is good to wake up people that are sleeping
i will wait for you and a promise is for keeping
all i really need is just the chance to never say goodbye
i do wonder if you'll be walking my way
and what would you say to a shared moment with me
i'll be waiting for you when the rain comes down
i'll be waiting for you when the sun comes out
blue skies or black, umbrella in my hand
i'll hang around like the moon
like an empty vase next to flowers in bloom
i'll be waiting for you
standing on the sidewalk pulling petals 'til you get here
umbrellas are for sharing we can squeeze in tight together
looking up i can't see any white in a clear blue sky
still i know soon youre going to drift into view
with clouds forming on cue, and i'll be waiting for you
i'll be waiting for you when the rain comes down
i'll be waiting for you when the sun comes out
blue skies or black, umbrella in my hand
i'll hang around like the moon
like an empty vase next to flowers in bloom
i'll be waiting for you
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19. |
I Can't Walk Away
03:29
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I CAN'T WALK AWAY
(Kern, Ratts)
Man, it's really dark tonight
there are clouds in every passerby
there's no cold like winter rain
i feel a chill in everything
and i can't hold out that long when everything is gone
it doesn't take a cyclone
and i wonder how i came so far to feel so lame
i could live or check out any day
but i can't walk away
from this pointless joke i choke on everyday
i'm too far gone, just let me lay
so you missed the boat again
waiting for what might have been
did it cost you everything
to be hoping and imagining?
and she never will compare to castles in the air
to your residential deep domestic nightmare
and i couldn't help but hear you've begun to disappear
man, we all could use a way right out of here...
and i can't walk away
from this losing game the cards are stacked to play
it's "just your luck" i heard her say
no i can't walk away
from this sinking ship i watched you sail away
i'm too far gone, just let me lay...
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20. |
Heartsick Reprise
01:42
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HEARTSICK REPRISE
(Ratts/Kern)
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21. |
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Like the pine trees lining the winding road
I got a name, I got a name
Like the singing bird and the croaking toad
I got a name, I got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm living the dream that he kept hid
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
Like the north wind whistling down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
And I'm gonna go there free
Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Well, I know I can share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
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22. |
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"THE FUTURE STORE" LINER NOTES - By Mike Lidskin
Hello, fellow Vegas With Randolph fan. We last met in the Above The Blue album liner notes, and I’m glad we’re both back to celebrate this fifth installment of the VWR catalog, The Future Store. On previous albums, fellow writers have noted that the album they wrote notes for was the best Vegas With Randolph album to date. I now get to make that claim. It’s true–The Future Store is the finest Vegas With Randolph album yet!
With this album, the band comes off of their longest interval between albums. Much has transpired between 2018 and 2024. The loss of beloved bassist Dan Aylestock. A global pandemic, which affected musicians and their audiences. And of course, a lot of life has happened in six years. The big question on everybody’s mind: How will Vegas With Randolph respond?
The answer: Fast and furious out of the gate, with a sense of urgency. The core team of John Ratts, Eric Kern, Brock Harris, and Dave Purol are making up for lost time. This album is a rocker. It starts off powerfully with hard rocking drums and guitar riffs, and doesn’t slow down or let up until over 50 minutes later, when the introspective track, I Can’t Walk Away, closes the “regulation” portion of the album, before taking a tribute song encore.
Along the way, you’re going to experience a tour de force of songwriting and performance. For the most part, the songs alternate between John’s and Eric’s compositions, with the writer taking lead vocals on each of their songs. Since there are three guitarists in the band, you’re going to be treated to some great six string fireworks. Eric, a keyboardist/guitarist, has now also picked up bass duties and did a splendid job. Notably, there is one final track that features Dan Aylestock’s bass playing: Give In To Love. Oh–and don’t worry–the patented soaring vocals and harmonies are front and center on this record. That's always been Vegas With Randolph’s secret weapon-those harmonies.
But what would a VWR album be without a few special guests? And boy, these guys always know who to invite. Hillary Burton (honeychain, Nushu) and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) help out in back-to-back tracks, a killer one-two punch of songwriting and vocals. Also, a really cool thing happened. Phil Kenzie, the man responsible for the legendary saxophone solo on Al Stewart’s Year of the Cat, plays a sax lead on “Don’t Stop Your Love.” It’s stellar–it plays more like a guitar lead.
A Vegas With Randolph feature I’ve always loved returns to this album: a medley of seven short original songs, this time entitled Triple Play. It takes you through several moods, some upbeat, some more reflective, but ending on an optimistic note with glorious poetic metaphors and music to match.
Usually, there’s a standout track or three that capture my attention on an album. So which tracks made me jump out of my seat on The Future Store? All 21 of them! I refuse to pick a favorite this time around, because they all are equally strong and worthy of your attention. Any one of them will sound great on my radio show, and they will all get their chance. This album is upbeat and largely positive. In some songs, the guys are hopeless romantics, in others, they are hopeful romantics. The breakup songs are mature. No hard feelings, just a realization that it’s time to move on with your life. Even the kiss-off song, I Feel Great, with Hillary Burton, helps you to understand that sometimes a little self-care is needed after an ended relationship, and you’ll be better off once you reach the other side.
And finally, I alluded to an encore at the end of the album. After the album’s most reflective song, I Can’t Walk Away, there’s a brief but gorgeous string and piano instrumental, Heartsick Reprise. A bit of a palate cleanser, and then onto the bonus track, a surprise cover of I Got A Name, perhaps my favorite Jim Croce song. VWR gives it a rock treatment, while still respecting the uplifting vibe. It’s always risky taking on a song of such magnitude, but the guys did it right. This tribute adds to the original. I can’t think of another band I’d trust with this classic. The original always got me in the gut, and this one does too. Chills. A glorious finale.
I’m lucky, because I don’t have to try to encourage you to get this album. You’ve already got it. We both know what happens now. Put it on, and enjoy the next 56 minutes. You deserve this album.
Mike Lidskin
Woody Radio
Sacramento, California
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Vegas With Randolph Washington, D.C.
Vegas With Randolph’s music has been called “ebullient, unabashed power pop”, “thinking man's party music,” and “blissful
pop songwriting at its finest” and their music has been compared to Fastball, Sloan, and Fountains of Wayne.
VWR is currently working on tracks for a fifth CD - look for this release in late 2023! VWR includes John Ratts, Eric Kern, Brock Harris, and David Purol.
... more
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