Back in 2019 I was introduced to Tommy Castro by the wonderful people at Alligator Records via a simply wonderful Live album ‘Killin’ It Live’ of which I said: “I’ve always loved a ‘live’ Blues album and this one has it all, it’s made to be played loud and with friends, this is an album that takes the Blues to the party stuttering, gritty and downright soulful in places and simply shimmering and funky in others. Every song here delivers and if you’ve not come across Castro before you will be wanting more after this, that’s for sure. Blues album of the year surely?”
A couple of years later he released this record and two days ago the Post Office delivered this CD found in the wrong PO Box (along with two others that I’m listening to now) as they did their what must have been bi-annual spring clean. So let me recap: If Blues Vocalist/Guitarist Tommy Castro is a name you’re not familiar with then here’s a taste from the bio: “Over the course of his still-unfolding career, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter has released 15 albums ranging from horn-fueled soul and R&B to piping hot blues to fiery rock ‘n’ roll. He’s performed all over the world, earning countless fans with his legendary, sweat-drenched, exhilarating live shows. Castro’s band, The Painkillers—bassist Randy McDonald, drummer Bowen Brown and keyboardist Michael Emerson—have now been playing together over four years. After hundreds of live shows, they have coalesced into one of the telepathically tightest units Castro has ever assembled, making them one of the most in-demand live roots music acts performing today.”
The great news for Blues fans is that Tommy Castro is still going strong as ever and back with a concept album of sorts – the tale of a young man working the family farm who gets bitten by the Blues bug! If you love the ‘realness’ of Blues and the immediacy and the tangibility then you will love this. Castro has one of those tones that grabs you instantly and just won’t let go and his vocals reek of the Blues – gravel, grit and whiskey in every syllable. For a guy that works so hard it’s a wonder he has time to write such great albums but that’s the difference between the Blues and other forms of music – it is life. Here with hs band ‘the Painkillers’ he makes magic again with some sublime soul-drenched blues-rock made to cure any ill.
As with that wonderful live album the attraction of Castro is his chameleon-like variety – he’s Jeff Beck one moment, Clapton the next and Billy Gibbons and Duane Allman and B.B. King, or channeling Chicago or the Delta. Castro is conversant in all but not just proficient to these eras he’s a real master. Lead single ‘Somewhere’ drips with some wonderful harp by Jimmy Hall and sounds incredible. Indeed this is an album that you feel captures both the dirt under the fingernails and the sanctity of the guitar.
There’s so much to love here it truly is hard to steer you to one song or another. ‘Somewhere’ is a killer opener, and the title track sports some killer lead, ‘Hustle’ adds funky and horns to the mix, whilst ‘I Got Burns’ has a hint of Texas. It’s all in here! For me though the real high is in tracks like the sumptuous ‘Prisoner’ which wrings the notes out of the fretboard or the real grit of ‘Women, Drugs and Alcohol’ which has a real forcefulness to its telling. It’s all gold though – I love ‘Draw the Line’ and the sax in ‘I Wanna Go Back Home’ and penultimate track ‘Bring It On Back’ just rounds out the story beautifully. Many of us go searching just to find what we needed right on the doorstep we fled in the first place.
This is the Blues I love. Another winner!
8/10