CD Review
Tommy Castro
Gratitude
Heart & Soul (2003) 8801
12 tracks, 57 minutes.
by Craig Ruskey
Review date: July 2003
|
|
"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
| |
After becoming fed up with record label attitudes and short-sighted, backhanded deals,
Tommy Castro decided to strike out completely on his own with his guitar, voice, and his
own imprint. Gratitude is his latest and it's a tip of the hat to long-lasting
influences from the soul, R&B, and blues fields. While a version of Sam and Dave's I Take
What I Want is solid and searing, it's more a Curtis Salgado track with his powerful
voice out front, then when Castro takes the helm on Ray Charles' Come Back Baby,
he pulls off some sizzling guitar licks and his voice shows passion, but it also pales in
comparison to the heart-wrenching original. He sounds rather hokey and ridiculous tackling
James Brown, but to his credit, almost anyone else would, too. For the straight-ahead blues
followers, Howlin' Wolf's 44 is nicely done as are the covers of B.B. King's Bad Case
Of Love, John Lee Hooker's It Serves You Right To Suffer, Buddy Guy's When My
Left Eye Jumps and Muddy Waters' I Wants To Be Loved. But the final analysis is
that while Tommy Castro creates a few sparks and does a credible job interpreting the
work of others, he's not going to make anyone forget the grit and grime of the masters
who so heavily influenced him. And as a guitarist, he can bend with the best of them, but
his more-than-occasional over-the-top antics don't go far in the long run.
www.utrmusicgroup.com or www.heartandsoulrecords.com have more information.
Your purchase through this Amazon.com link helps to support this website.
Simply click on the cover at left or the Amazon buy button (if there is one) to order this CD NOW!
"This review is copyright © 2003 by Craig Ruskey, and Blues On Stage at: www.mnblues.com, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without permission."
Copyright reuse notice: If you would like to reprint or use this review please include the above copyright notice, contained within the quotation marks, PLUS this statement: "Used with permission." Then send an email to Ray at: mnblues@aol.com indicating how you are using the review or the website page address it will be appearing on. Thanks!
You can help support this blues website by making a contribution (click on the banner below for details).
Or mail a donation to: Ray Stiles % Blues On Stage, PO Box 582983, Mpls, MN 55458. Thanks!
Web Design SPECIAL, get your own website for just $50.
Web Hosting & Design:
Web Hosting & Design.
Most affordable web hosting and design services available.
Find out how you can host your current site at Blues On Stage, or how I can help you design your own website!
If you would like your CD reviewed, please send TWO (2) copies, along with promotional material to:
Blues On Stage
PO Box 582983
Minneapolis, MN 55458-2983
E-mail Ray Stiles @ mnblues@aol.com with any questions.
|
Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com
Copyright © 2003 Ray M. Stiles All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. Blues On Stage is a ® Trademark of Ray Stiles.
|
|