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"This record is me looking at myself through characters. I would find that when I had met people, I’d try to figure out what makes them tick. After a while I began to realize that I was actually looking at myself through the eyes of other people. In that sense, it was almost scary to write these songs." - Randy Wooten, June 2005
It’s safe to assume that Wooten’s keen observational skills are partly attributable to his uniquely eventful upbringing. It’s an equally safe bet that Lift will further fuel the ascent of Randy & The Bloody Lovelies. With its tales of ordinary people swimming valiantly against the tides of modernity, Lift not only gives insight into the twenty-first century consciousness, it also offers a glimpse inside the mind of Randy Wooten himself.
"I think when you’re at certain places in life, other people become a Rorschach test for you," Wooten says. "So writing this was good for me. It was a way for me to peel back some layers and ultimately create some intimacy between myself and the people listening."
Taking risks is apparently a habit for Mr. Wooten and his musical cohorts. On their 2004 debut CD, Some Truth and a Little Money," The Bloody Lovelies performed 14 original songs that invited favorable comparisons to Brian Wilson, Lennon & McCartney, Todd Rundgren and Rufus Wainwright, among distinguished others. "It’s wonderful," effused Rolling Stone editor, David Wild. "The Bloody Lovelies have musical ability with a deep love of pop-rock."
For Wooten, the bands sophomore release, Lift, is the culmination of a musical career that would not be denied. Born in Springfield, Missouri, Wooten began taking piano lessons at age eight. But the budding pianist put a stop to his formal training after his teacher insisted he would never learn to play or write songs.
The following year, the Wooten’s Missouri home was completely destroyed by a tornado. The tragedy forced the family to spend the ensuing months living in a motel. Luckily for Randy, the modest inn just happened to be next door to a music store. "(That’s when) I started teaching myself the guitar and really writing songs," Wooten recalls.
Six years later, with a head full of embryonic tunes gestating in his head, Wooten picked up the piano again, electing to teach himself.
Masterfully produced by Mark Plati (David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Cure), Lift features 13 Randy Wooten originals that explode from the speakers in a hail of fanciful Brit-rock rhythms and Noel Coward-like melodies. Just listen to how Wooten’s voice locks with the soulful choruses on "Why You ‘Spose That Is?," or how the weepy pedal steel guitar on "Wondrous Things" and "Beautiful, Too" underscore the song’s whimsical sentiments. From the spiraling brass flourishes of "Twilight Kids," to the luxuriant string embellishments of "Pop," "Isabella" and "Under Starlight," Lift raises the pop-rock bar to breathless new heights.
Lurking below the surface of these songs -- one is tempted to call them "numbers" -- lies a tragicomic "libretto" about luckless dreamers, desperate lovers, flawed heroes and beautiful losers. Indeed, Wooten coined a phrase to describe his songwriting approach: "Romanticizing the Unromantic."
Wooten explains, "I had a broader vision with these new songs."
Eager to get his new ideas on tape, Wooten recruited a stellar cast of musicians, including drummer Shawn Pelton (Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, "Saturday Night Live"), violinist / accordionist / vocalist Lisa Germano (U2, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, Indigo Girls), pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Beck, Matthew Sweet), and trumpeter Lee Thornburg (George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux, "The Tonight Show"), as well as original Bloody Lovelies bassist, Eric Holden.
As Wooten himself admits, these remarkably talented musicians helped give Lift its wings. "A lot of the elements on this records, like trumpet, accordion and strings, were created on non-traditional rock instruments," Wooten says. "It was nice not to feel the constraints of having to capture the sound of four individuals. It was just a matter of me trying to get across the sound in my head."
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