Tommy Castro, Al Anderson
Just got back from the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches Cruise. So much good music and great to see old friends who love the music, too. Tommy Castro was there, along with John Hiatt, Jimmy Hall, Wayne Toups, Gary Nicholson, Al Anderson, Bob DiPiero, Jeffrey Steele, Mingo Fishtrap, Nick Connally, Billy Campbell, Kevin McHendrick, Rob McNelly, Delbert, of course; and many other artists and songwriters. Six days of great music.
Since I returned, Tommy Castro's new CD, "Soul Shaker", plays constantly in the car and at the house. The San Francisco based blues guitarist put together a 12 song CD whose content demonstrates an ability to use the genre to tell a very personal story. It's rockin and bluesy, with a hint of jazz on the instrumental cut, and it turns the blues genre upside down by singing about sobering up instead of partying down. Whether wrestling with and defeating the demons of your past qualify as a good man feeling bad, is a question best answered by listeners. But, I can tell you that I really enjoy this CD.
Al Anderson, a great songwriter who is well known for his work with NRBQ, has released his own defeating-demons-of-the-past album, "After Hours". With love songs and philosophical question songs, it's a sweet, melodic CD and Anderson sounds great on both guitar and vocals. This CD shares time with Castro's. Enjoy.
