June 1999

Worshipped in San Francisco for his guitar virtuosity, Tommy Castro throws a bit more rock and two bits of soul into his basic blues mix on Right As Rain (Blind Pig). He has the voice, the band, and the guitar to pull it off. Does he have the cathartic exuberance to extricate his audience from their own blues? I'm here to testify that his sandpaper howl and stratocaster sting do the trick. His vocal duet with Delbert McClinton on an old Sam and Dave song, Don't Turn Your Heater Down, has to be the best Sam and Dave since the originals. Unlike the dozens of neo-Stevie Ray Vaughans on the blues circuit, Castro has the taste and self-assurance to allow other musicians their moments. His guitar solos stand out because you get them in tasteful dollops.