May 1999

Touched By Soul

San Francisco Bay area guitarist Castro's third album is clearly his best yet. He likes to bring the full-tilt energy of hard rock to his brand of soulful blues. Castro possesses an especially strong singing voice, and his sense of tone, time and drama is impressive. He's an ever-improving songwriter, keeping his nine compositions in the spirit if not the letter of the old r&b and soul traditions he obviously loves. Leading an ace bass-drums-saxophone team, he accentuates the fervor and sensuality of Stax soul man Johnnie Taylor's "I've Got To Love Somebody's Baby" without pulverizing the expressive currents of melody and rhythm to pulp. Still, he'd be wise to introduce himself to shadings and dynamic contrasts. Bonus: good cameo spots by Dr. John, Texas singer Delbert McClinton, and the gospel choir from San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church.

Frank-John Hadley