“I always played with my father and mother in church—that’s been my whole life,” says the Columbus, Ohio native. Learning bass lines came courtesy of his parents’ record collection. “I used to play along to Al Green albums. Once I learned a few songs, I knew I was on my way.” Although Morgan listened to a wide variety of music, the first bassist who caught his ear was Stanley Clarke. “I keyed into everything Stanley was doing, but I always tried to put my own style into it and not just copy him note-for-note.”

Colorblind finds the Family Band downplaying its “jammy” tendencies in favor of a tighter, more concise delivery. While displaying a newfound focus, the Family Band still manages to show a diverse range of influences by dialing up elements of rock, funk, R&B, and gospel. “Whatever type of music you like, you can get it on Colorblind,” says Danyel, who is in his seventh year with the band. “Every song has its own flavor.”

Despite the album’s stylistic diversity, Danyel maintains that not much changes for him bass-wise: “I try to keep the same approach and stay laid back.” To prepare for the recording sessions, the band members maintained a steady diet of Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Wonder and tried to express themselves through the songs rather than their strings. But Morgan promises that fans of the Family Band’s improvisational abilities have nothing to fear. “We always make things up onstage; sometimes I’ll start a line, Marcus [Randolph] will jump in on drums, and off we go!” Danyel distills the band’s collective music-making approach down to the art of being a team player: “We’ve all grown together, and we try to combine our knowledge to make something that’s bigger than any one of us individually.”

Since venturing out into the secular world, Robert Randolph & the Family Band has been on an incredible musical journey that none of the members takes for granted. “It’s been a beautiful experience going everywhere we’ve been—places that I never thought I would see. At the end of the day, though, I’m still trying to do what I do: make music. I love it more than anything.”