Albert Castiglia

Keepin On

Albert Castiglia

Keepin On

As this CD starts I am thinking this is three piece heaven.  Wow what a great sound on the opening track “Cadillac Assembly Line”, I was thinking that Jimmy Hendrix just sat up in his grave and went Daaaamn!

“Till I Fall In Love With You” is an up tempo Blues rocker with a Funky groove and more great guitar work.  The Instrumental “Mojo 305” keeps things moving along.  Guitar lovers beware; there is a monster guitar solo on “Keep On Keepin’ On” along with some inspiring lyrics that reflect the types of problems that we all face these days.  Doing a great job holding down the bottom on this fine CD, are AJ Kelly on bass and Bob Amsel on drums.

“Do You Love Me” features Bill “Mighty” Quinn on B3 and Emedin Rivera on congas for a nice little change of styles.  On “Sweet Southern Angel” you will find Tony Walker playing dobro.  This is a nice upbeat acoustic tune that will find your toes tappin’.  For something slower, soulful and traditional, check out the acoustic track “Murderin’ Blues”.  This is an old Robert Nighthawk song that finds me really fixated on the lyrics.  Check it out to find out why, I think the title kind of gives it away.  For some foot stompin’ boogie with some face melting guitar work, check out “Goin’ Upstairs”. 

The aptly titled “Closing Time” closes out this CD. This is a slower Blues tune with some scorching guitar work. It seems like I’m running out of adjectives to describe Albert’s guitar playing but that is good thing.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of “Keepin On” and even better yet, check him out live at the Great Northern Blues Societies 2012 Blues Café on March 31^st.

Ron Hoerter

Chris Duarte Group

Blues In The Afterburner

Chris Duarte Group

Blues In The Afterburner

I have been a fan of Chris Duarte’s since I first heard “My Way Dowm” off of Texas Sugar/Strat Majik back in 1994.  I heard that song on the Blues Deluxe radio show and went to Inner Sleeve Records the next day to by the CD, I did that a lot back in the day.  I think many of us back then were still looking for the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. (In retrospect, that was kind of dumb)  Anything that was in the Blues vein with some smokin’ guitar, was on my too buy list.  The difference is that today, I own most of the Chris Duarte catalog and a lot of the other artists CD’s that I ran out to buy the next day, were one and done.  Needless to say, I looked forward to hearing Blues In The Afterburner and writing a review prior to his appearance at the Great Northern Blues Societies 2012 Blues Café on March 31^st.

This CD opens up with “Another Man” and it’s all here; the thump, the growlin’ vocals and that expressive strat playing.  This track is just an outright guitar grinder.  “Make Me Feel So Right” is a toe tapper that makes you feel like it’s familiar but all new at the same time.  On “Bottle Blues” you can hear the SRV influences immediately.  This is a song about drinking and women, I know that Stevie could relate just as Chris did.  The strong lyrics speak of struggling with alcohol and life’s little irritants like dirty dishes. “I don’t feel like goin’ outside, rather stay inside and drink”.

“Milwaukee Blues” is an upbeat rollicking rocker of a tune.  Is that redundant?  I found “Summer’s Child” to have an old warmth about it like some Pop/Rock thing from the 70’s.  It’s different but very enjoyable.  The hard rocking “Searching For You” is a song that really grabs your attention.  There is not really any Blues here but who cares.  The upbeat Classic Rocker “Don’t Cha Drive Me Crazy” is another toe tapper. 

“Born To Race” is heavy on the rock but that is offset by the Country flavor of “I’ve Been A Fool” and like everything on this CD, the guitar rules.  An outrageous face melting instrumental titled “Prairie Jelly” wraps up this fantastic CD. 

Robert Watson on bass with Aaron Haggerty on drums round out this three piece band and they really bring it.  The lyrics are great and the whole CD just gives you a warm feeling knowing that real classic guitar driven music still exists, you just have to look for it.  I suggest that you go buy this CD, then quit listening to what the kids are playing in your house and turn them on to what’s real.  I did that in my house when my kids were young and you wouldn’t believe the results.

Ron Hoerter