(August 20, 2026) When exploring the fruitful musical history of the United States, one is drawn to the contributions of Detroit. The Motor City boasts influential music forces like Motown Records, the iconic gospel family The Winans, and the subject of this latest First Listen, Paul Randolph. While the first two are immediately recognizable in the industry, Randolph has proved to be an independent artist remarkably serving his Detroit, Michigan community, such as SoulTracks favorite Amp Fiddler (who passed in 2023), and techno giant Carl Craig.
Much of Randolph’s great contributions are his work as a team player, including most recently the joint project Detroit CentriX with jazz/blues belter Kathy Kosins. That is one reason why First Listen captured two of their tracks: “What We Want” preaching to those in finding their purpose in life and a romance testing ground called “Ain’t No Wrong.” And the solo catalog via Sun Temple Records produced another First Listen – the Prince-laced “Time 4 Us” – focusing on his bass guitar piloting the rock guitar riffs and funkified vocal harmonies.
SoulTracks now invites Randolph again for his new single “I Wanna Know Ya,” a gorgeously ambient soundtrack where finding a future stunning love partner dominates the storyline. The tasty keyboard intro echoes jazz-hip-hop hooks a la Robert Glasper flowing into a smorgasbord of finger snapping funk, soul and jazz. For the juicy bridges on “I Wanna Know Ya”, Randolph drops silky bass lines and fluttering string passages further supplying the dreams of a satisfactory love ending. And his rich tenor lead describes the thrill of romance in proper motion:
“The world was in slow motion
And in the air
I heard music
Your own soundtrack.”
Check it out!
By Peggy Oliver
