Big Moon Ritual
June 5, 2012
Tulsa yesterday tomorrow forever
Today I think I'll take my own sweet time
You can tell by my blues that I'm no beginner
Or just look into my eyes
I learned my lessons in the days back in the dogwood
Left some footprints in the deep red clay
Found my way past the temptations of plenty
Let the sound take me all the way
It's a low down dirty sorrow
To know the real pain of love
Somethings you own some you borrow
Until you let it go
Find a garden let it grow
And what you find
Let it shine
Let your chariot swing low
West wind blow my blood runs cold from to much trouble
West wind blow howl thru my bones tonight
Tulsa yesterday tomorrow forever
Today I think I'll take my own sweet time
You can tell by my shoes that I am a believer
Or just look into my eyes
Rosalee you little country thang
Sure ‘nuff know, how to make me smile
You like the jangle, of my tambourine
Won’t you stay a little while
Rosalee, sugar sweet
How I’d like to make you mine
I’d take you down, to the county seat
You could take my name anytime
Is the air getting thinner, or are we getting high
Have mercy on a day dreamin’ man
My boots aint dry from the flood
Gave you my word, to do the best that I can
I understand this bird in hand, is better than 2 in the bush
Who do I see but miss Rosalee
Sure a site for sore eyes
I like the things she says to me
In a voice as soft as twilight
And it’s all down hill, to the beach from here, Lonely
I’ve got something here to share, Only
Is the air getting thinner, or are we getting high
Rosalee you little county thang
Sure ‘nuff know, how to make me smile
You like the jangle, of my tambourine
Won’t you stay a little while
Rosalee, Rosalee
I was 13th at the table
when the wine was passed around
Amid an air of suspicion
my glance was meet with callous frowns
If I was superstitious I'd be the black cat
no one wants hang'n round
Dark whispers in the hallway
accusations out of bitter mouths
Strange figures in the doorway
a dog barks a drunkard's laugh
There's screaming in the kitchen
glass breaks just then the lights go out
Let winter chase butterflies
Let the child believe in lies
Let the road run by my door
I can't stay here anymore
I won't, I won't look back at my dream
burning on the side of the road
Sometimes it just goes like that
Falling or flying , star or stone
Close the window
I just can't hear the highway anymore
Lay beside me
and let our fires burn until the dawn
A telephone was ringing
a heavy price on the other line
Outside the window
a comet shoots across the sky
Between love and hope and money
There's loss and pain and honey
So take a spoonful every time
And if you don't like what you see
Don't come running to me
Cause I'm bound to my own way
I'm a million miles away
I won't, I won't look back at my dream
burning on the side of the road
Sometimes it just goes like that
Falling or flying , star or stone
Tomorrow blues you know I got them today
I can't believe what my baby say
Lips are move'n all I hear is goodbye
Been on the road so long
my shoes turned to sand
Looking for a good time girl who understands
Looking for a rose in the garden of thorns
You been begging for what you owe
And baby that ain't right
It's time for the truth be told
Time to shed some light
And let it flow tonight
Let me see you, feel you, be you
Before I head out down the line
Tomorrow blues
You know I got them right now
If you've been inside my footprints
You'd know that I'm down
Looking up at the moon
From a bottom of a well
Tomorrow blues you know I got them again
See I remember when we were best friends
I held her hand she held my tremble 'n heart
Big gun powder and the Glasgow girl
Our lady of the highway with a string of pearls
Well I aint no modern masterpiece
New surrealist movement in the key of G
Oooh, ooh ooh ooh oooh
Oooh, ooh ooh ooh oooh
Well my baby loves me like an auto-harp
You see she plucks my mind and she strums my heart
We’re both victims of gravity
She’ll never fly away from me
Well you can tell by looking, I’m not like the rest
Sometimes a broken mirror, reflects back the best
Well look inside my Chinese box
You have the key to every lock
It’s made of old chestnut and a lacquer top
Well once you stop you can never stop
Oooh, ooh ooh ooh oooh
Oooh, ooh ooh ooh oooh
Well you can tell by looking I’m not like the rest
Sometimes a broken mirror, reflects back the best
A vagabond child, has come back home
A walk through the clouds, in a sky the color of stone
To you I'm just a memory
Something lost among the leaves
Something found along the way
And so begin these empty pages
At the end of a dream
Watch it slowly fade away
The slight of hand the bait and switch
All the parlor tricks have been played on me
I've seen them come and watched them go
Into the night down a road of stone
Beware, oh take care
I guess it takes a thief to know one
And liars live for broken things
Traitors just smile and smile
The actor has his black mirror
The poet a poison throne
To rule his kingdom alone
But I'm still singing the blues
Dancing that old soft shoe
I'm still drift'n from cloud to cloud
Never looking to come down
From hell to high water
Over that angel bridge
Out into the wilderness
Beware, oh take care
Pacific standard time, Georgia state line
Thread the needle, riddle my rhyme
Come knock on my door
The fools finger wears the crown
Time to tie, your ribbons round
Around the sun, around the moon
Around our Love
100 days of rain in front of me
I’ve been thru this storm before
Blow a kiss and wave goodbye to me
Soon I’ll be outside your door
Pick an apple, bruise a peach
You can’t learn, if you can’t teach
This ain’t dinner, it’s a feast
Just like old Levi
Hangin' on to the hangin' on
You can't make right unless you know wrong
Can't change what’s been done
Unless you’re the one, To let bygones be gone
Sister diamond child,
come take my mind and wonder
Stay with me, until the stars refuse to shine
Be my dream thru sweet silver slumber
Let me fall asleep on your floor
Pacific Standard time, Georgia State line
You ain’t tryin’ if it ain’t a crime
So smiles the judge
You can almost smell the fresh marijuana burning in the studio as Chris Robinson and Neal Casal kick off the Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s debut album with haunting, atmospheric guitar licks. After a couple minutes of psychedelic weirdness, the full band kicks into the lazy summer day rock and roll of “Tulsa Yesterday,” the opening track of their debut, Big Moon Ritual. Robinson sings a couple verses, but then the band launches back into outer space, fueled by Casal’s soaring lead guitar. Casal, who manned lead guitar for Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, is no stranger to impressive guitar solos, but the Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s exploratory jams find his playing at an entirely new level.
And Casal isn’t the only one who has stepped up his game in this new band. Here’s a secret that The Black Crowes managed to obscure during their twenty years together – Chris Robinson is a pretty good guitar player himself. Mixing creative rhythm playing with even the occasional solo, Robinson, who is generally known for his voice exclusively, reveals himself to be a talented all around musician with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. Just listen to his spacey solo in “Tulsa Yesterday” before Casal leaps in with a smoldering explosion of notes, as the two trade licks in a dizzying jam that would have made 1973 Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia jealous.
“Rosalee” comes next with fine vocals from Robinson and a funky electric piano riff from Adam McDougall before the catchy, upbeat rocker suddenly takes a turn towards the weird. After a spacey interlude, Robinson repeatedly sings “Is the air getting thinner, are we getting high?” as McDougall’s slinky piano returns and he and Casal propel the song back towards rock and roll, finally bringing the expedition to a close after nine wild minutes.
“Star Or Stone,” a rolling ballad that also tops the nine-minute mark, follows and features Robinson’s soulful voice at its absolute best, effectively complimented by soothing “oooh” harmonies. Casal’s tender playing then sneaks into the spotlight, and surfing over the band like a gentle wave, his solo slowly builds into a flourish of transcendental peaks. “Beware, Oh Take Care,” is another highlight, with dusty harmonies from Robinson’s bandmates and more shimmering, acid-washed lead guitar work from Casal.
With the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Robinson, the howling rock and roll star himself, is a bit mellowed out. Nothing on the album rocks with anything close to the intensity that The Black Crowes often created, but this band has a different vision. The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is at their best on ballads with a relaxed tempo, as they approach every song with patience, giving the music plenty of time to breathe and develop organically.
With all seven songs on the album clocking in at over seven minutes, Big Moon Ritual is an album for lovers of psychedelic rock highlighted by a healthy dose of guitar. But this isn’t just some loose jam session. After forming in early 2011, Chris Robinson Brotherhood hit the road and didn’t stop, honing this brand new material nightly towards perfection before entering the recording studio. And with heavenly, sparkling guitars, sunny California harmonies, a rock solid rhythm section and Robinson’s voice as soulful and stirring as ever, it is scary how close to perfection the fully gelled band gets with Big Moon Ritual. With an inspired Robinson penning tons of new material, the band has already recorded a second album due in the fall, and perhaps The Black Crowes hiatus will continue slightly longer than expected as this band feels built to last.
– Sam Robertson Jambands.com