NEW YORK: Tommy Castro's Hard Believer CD Review - by J. Blake

Throughout his 15 year career as a recording artist, California native Tommy Castro has shared the studio and stage with a virtual who’s who of blues and rock royalty; including B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Dr. John and Carlos Santana to name a few.

In recent years he has gained international recognition for combining the familiar genres of the blues, rock and soul and brilliantly creating a sound that is truly his own. Among his many accolades, Billboard said that “Castro combines the earthy soulfulness of Albert Collins and B.B. King with the polish of Robert Cray.” Guitar Player Magazine called him “the hardest working bluesman on the scene today.” And in 2008 he won the Blues Music Award for Entertainer of the Year.

I first saw Castro perform at a blues festival in New York’s capitol region in 1997 and have been a fan ever since. Now 12 years later, I am happy to say that he has still got it! His latest studio effort HARD BELIEVER may be his strongest yet.

For his first release on the Alligator Record Label, Castro turned to veteran blues producer to John Porter to help him create an album that surges with musical energy. Backed by a throbbing organ and a booming horn section, the majority of HARD BELIEVER finds Castro effectively paying tribute to the “Memphis Sound”. Spanning the album’s 6 original tracks and 6 well-chosen covers, the 54 year-old guitar-slinger’s raspy vocals channel the soulfulness of music icons that include Wilson Pickett (on the album’s title-track, as well as on the cover of the Pickett classic Ninety-Nine and One Half), John Fogerty (on Backup Plan) and Van Morrison (on the album’s closing track The Trouble With Soul).

When HARD BELIEVER is not updating the sound of Stax-style soul, Castro and his band are dishing out roadhouse-style blues and good old fashion rock ’n’ roll; creating a rewarding listening experience that is undeniably “Tommy Castro”.

This new CD may not capture the power that Castro’s live performances have become known for, but it is a well-produced studio effort, with a full sound and tight performances; showing that like many blues artists, Castro is only getting better with age.

TRACK LIST:

01. Definition Of Insanity

02. It Is What It Is

03. Hard Believer

04. Monkey's Paradise

05. Ninety-Nine And One Half

06. Backup Plan

07. Gotta Serve Somebody

08. Trimmin' Fat

09. Make It Back To Memphis

10. Victims Of The Darkness

11. My babe

12. The Trouble With Soul

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved