Randy Rogers Band – “Steal You Away”

“Sexy” is not a descriptor I’m entirely comfortable with using in reference to a male-performed country song, but in the case of the Randy Rogers Band’s “Steal You Away,” it’s necessary. In fact, it’s undeniable.

Here, Texas country star Randy Rogers lets his sensuous rasp slide over a simple organ and acoustic bed before their fluid confluence with bass and drum, telling the object of his longing that the man she’s with isn’t worthy of her affections. There’s not a superfluous word or wasted note as he chronicles the ungrateful lover’s faults, declaring “I should steal you away.”

“Should” is the pivotal word here, with Rogers not yet possessing the cojones to “cross that line.” A desire bridled by some unspoken limitation, imparted by Randy’s impassioned crooning to a far greater extent than the sparse lyrics, gives this song its emotional wallop. Who can’t root for the good guy working up the moxie to swoop in and save the day?

It’s the song’s organic rapport with the listener that makes it so doggone appealing, despite the story’s climax lying at some point beyond the 3:50 running time. That unresolved tension is the heart of this winning tune. What’s not revealed is every bit as important as what’s said, and that’s refreshing in a genre where stories are usually tied up with a neat bow, or driven in with an overly-clever barbed hook. The band lets sincerity pull the load.

“Steal You Away” is powerful enough a love song to set female hearts aflutter across Texas and likely, the nation. Guys can unashamedly dig it too; RRB’s masculinity shines through the romanticism.

The Randy Rogers Band may have been shooting for mainstream success with up-tempo and mid-tempo singles to this point, but it could be this simple and sincere ballad that breaks them big.