March 28, 2005

Review of Soul Shaker

With his raucous blues-rock guitar stylings and passionate vocals, Tommy Castro has been slowly gaining a reputation as one of the best live acts to emerge from the Bay Area. Just check out his recent Live At The Fillmore West DVD and you will get it. With the release of Soul Shaker, his first album of new material in four years, Castro is already gaining kudos for finally capturing the excitement of his live show into a great studio album, He sounds like many great artists here, without ever losing his own musical identity. The opening track, "Just Like Me" rocks out with a full horn section in a distinctly Southside Johnny & The Asbury Dukes feel. "Let's Give Love A Try" is a contemporary remake of T-Rex's "Bang A Gong" with Castro delivering a vocal style not unlike that of Bob Seger. "Anytime Soon" is a great R&B ballad, delivered again in a Seger-vocal style. The album lives up to its name with a very powerful blend of soul and blues. "What You Gonna Do Now?" could have been recorded by the Stax rhythm section and sung by Eddie Floyd had it been written in 1967. "The Next Right Thing" could have been covered by Al Green, but Castro certainly does justice to it with his own distinct style and delivery. The bluesy slide guitar of Roy Rogers can be heard on the title track, and "Take Me Off The Road," helps round out the CD with its funky, swamp-rock feel. With records like this, and his recent trek across the US, Tommy Castro is poised to be the best guitar hero we have had stateside since Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Rating: A-

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