Paul Randolph专辑介绍：by Andy KellmanLike several other Detroit-dwelling musicians and producers, Paul Randolph (primarily a bassist and vocalist) wears a few hats. He's been known to juggle roles in multiple blues/rock bands, in addition to one-off collaborations with electronic producers -- see Innerzone Orchestra's Programmed, Recloose's Cardiology, and his vocal turn on As One's look at Weldon Irvine's "I Love You." Randolph Says, "This Is... What It Is" follows a pair of solo house singles released on Kevin Saunderson's KMS and Kenny "Moodymann" Dixon Jr.'s Mahogani Music. As a producer, Randolph has some distance to go in order to be ranked alongside Motor City staples like Saunderson, Dixon, Theo Parrish, Alton Miller, Rick Wilhite, and Mike Grant, but his liquid basslines and deep, understated vocals (which can smoothly switch to falsetto) are able to carry the functional beat work. And for someone who's relatively new to this, Randolph is hardly one to dismiss on the basis of how he stacks up against his contemporaries. This being a Mahogani release, some listeners might be dismayed to not locate more of Kenny Dixon, Jr.'s fingerprints; hopefully they can cut through that issue and see that Randolph isn't a mere dilettante and can stand on his own with little difficulty.