Robert Randolph: Preacher Kids Review

2025 is really turning out to be a banner year for blues rock. Robert Randolph is set to release Preacher Kids on the 27th of June this year. The record comes in at just under 47 minutes of absolute perfection; get in, get it right, get out while they want more. This is the second album to be released in the first half of 2025 that I felt firmly earned a perfect score. Robert Randolph is a well-known pedal steel legend across multiple genres with multiple Grammy nominations, having worked with some of the biggest names in modern music, and with this new album, he’s trying something a little different. The result is a blues rocker’s dream.

Preacher Kids is almost a concept album, with all the participating musicians reportedly being drawn from backgrounds of having a preacher for a parent, and the thematic content drawing heavily on the dichotomy of being a good church kid versus wanting to be a partying rock and roller. The guilt of loving fun.

Randolph is joined by a crew of world class talent, including Tash Neal on guitar, Jay White singing, playing bass, and arranging, and Willie Barthel drumming. They are joined by a couple of co-writers (Stephen Kellogg on “7 Generations”) and a couple of guest vocalists (Margo Price on “King Karma” and Judith Hill on “When Will the Love Rain Down). Every single performer here is firing on all cylinders. Songs on the record move easily between swampy blues rock, gospel-feeling seductive tracks, mysterious Black Keys-style riffs, and even a Waylon Jennings cover (“Like to Love You Baby”). 

Just as every performer performs excellently, every single track is a winner. Preacher Kids contains multitudes in terms of soul: the thematic elements and tone of some of the songs shift significantly from fun tracks about loving big women, to feeling deeply intimate with a partner, to just jamming to the blues by the pool. While the themes may (deliberately) shift frequently, the sound is cohesive throughout. Rarely have I heard an album that felt so unified, well thought-out, and confident. The highest praise I can offer for the album is this: it made me want to get my own gear out and write some songs. The music Randolph and friends have given us here is nothing if not inspiring and deeply touching, in the way the best of the blues is.

For my money, the best track on the record is “When Will The Love Rain Down (featuring Judith Hill),”  which is the most emotionally poignant song while also boasting a killer swampy and almost spooky vibe. Randolph reportedly says “Sinner” is the song that sets the tone for Preacher Kids, and it’s also a real standout, with classic rock drum beats, great slow build guitar solo, and paying homage to the great forerunners of blues. All that said, a listener could pick any of the 10 tracks and cite it justifiably as a favorite.

There are times when hearing new music feels like a religious experience, like something a monk in an ancient text would describe receiving in a euphoric vision. This record is one of those points. At one point, I wrote down in my notes, “the spirit of Jimi Hendrix was in the room while this was being laid down.” Preacher Kids is definitely a contender for album of the year, and I cannot praise it or recommend it enough to blues rock lovers.

The Review: 10/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Sinner
– Gravity
– Big Women
– When Will The Love Rain Down (featuring Judith Hill)


The Big Hit

– When Will The Love Rain Down (featuring Judith Hill)


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