Tommy Castro Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
You might think that Castro's first album recorded for mighty blues indie Alligator -- and twelfth overall -- would mark a departure for this longtime rocking soulman. Despite a fuller sound, fleshed out with Lenny Castro's percussion and boosted by an ever-present horn section led by longtime cohort Keith Crossan, this is another typically solid effort from the singer/guitarist. Perhaps it's unfair to expect that Castro would somehow break free of, expand, or alter the blue-collar persona he has cultivated over his solo career as he shifts to a higher-profile label affiliation. Veteran producer/musician John Porter returns to join Castro's strong, husky vocals -- a cross between Delbert McClinton, James Brown, and Bob Seger -- to a rather slick, radio-friendly approach that buffs off the frontman's natural grit, arguably overly so. Every track is tweaked to perfection with keyboards and brass charts, leaving little to chance or room for the music to breathe. It's a marked change from Castro's anything-goes concerts where the songs are tightly rehearsed, yet open for improvisation. Studio sets are naturally more sterile, but there remains a nagging feeling that this is too studied for his style of soulful rock. That's abundantly clear on his cover of the Wilson Pickett chestnut "Ninety-Nine and One Half," a natural song for his gutsy vocals but performed in a version that pales next to Pickett's spine-tingling original. Still, when the singer dives into the slow blues of "Backup Plan" all the pieces fit, and Castro's John Fogerty-styled vocals rip into the tune with the kind of aggression generally missing from the musical backing. Covers of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" and the Righteous Brothers' rollicking "My Babe" bring out the inherent Memphis R&B grease of the former and the churchy fun of the latter without messing with the original concepts. "Trimmin' Fat" is a fun, swampy, party-rocking new tune that tries too hard to force a concert singalong of its title. Much better is Allen Toussaint's "Victims of the Darkness," a 1972 gem that benefits from Castro's sympathetic reading. Blues lovers hope the journeyman performer will someday break into the mainstream, and perhaps albums like this one will hasten that. But Hard Believer doesn't capture Castro's powerful concert persona, and anyone that has experienced his live show can't help but be slightly let down by this well-crafted, professionally recorded and produced, if somewhat disappointing release. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Tommy Castro's sixth release for the Blind Pig label, Painkiller, picks up where his 2003 set, Soul Shaker, left off. This time around, producer John Porter -- who has worked with Santana, Taj Mahal, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy -- positions Castro's Delbert McClinton/Southside Johnny vocal grit in front of a punchy horn section and rounds out the date with a few guest artists. Unlike many similar modern blues projects of good intentions but lackluster performances, the combinations on Painkiller never sound forced. In particular, the Albert Collins track, "A Good Fool Is Hard to Find," has Coco Montoya and Castro trading vocal jabs and guitar riffs, and Angela Strehli's passionate vocal on Freddie King's "If You Believe (In What You Do)" is likewise another highlight of this overall triumphant rock 'n' soul album. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
San Francisco's Tommy Castro doesn't play blues so much as a brand of hard, soulful rock with a blues inflection, not unlike the J. Geils Band in the early 1980s, say, or Bob Seger (Castro's voice bears a strong resemblance to Seger's), all with a little bit of the old Stax groove tossed in for good measure. Soul Shaker reunites him with his old label, Blind Pig, and while there is nothing startling or innovative here, Castro and his band churn out a kind of meat-and-potatoes rock that is increasingly becoming an endangered species, probably not seen in these parts since Seger decided to stop making albums. While Castro is perfectly capable taking a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar turn on the Strat, it is his vocals that give his material its real punch, and here he turns in some very credible singing performances on the Memphis-style ballad "Anytime Soon," "The Holdin' On" (which Wilson Pickett should cover immediately), the funky "Big Love," and the title track, "Soul Shaker," which features a guest spot by slide guitar ace Roy Rogers. One of the most striking tracks is "Let's Give Love a Try," which rocks wonderfully in a no-frills, bar band groove, and it really does sound like a great, lost Bob Seger single. Another highlight is the flute-led and jazzy "The Crossanova," which shows that Castro and his band have more than a couple cards up their sleeves. In the end, Soul Shaker is a solid party album, one that breaks no new ground, but sometimes that's just fine. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With billing divided equally between three mid-level headliners, Triple Trouble simmers without ever quite catching fire. Despite backing from the former Stevie Ray Vaughn rhythm section and a clever gospel rearrangement of the Beatles classic "Help," performances tend to drag. No one seems to work up much of a sweat, and guitar solos add up to strings of ancient clich�s, absent the intensity they once conveyed. Perhaps if Reese Wynans' organ had been mixed higher, some churchy element might have pepped things up; as it is, bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton come through loud, clear, and listless. A feeling persists throughout this disc that if this group had delivered this set before a rowdy crowd in some beery backwoods dive, results would have been far more persuasive. As it is, Triple Trouble is hardly trouble at all. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As its title suggests, Tommy Castro's seventh album is a note of thanks to the artists who inspired the West Coast guitarist/vocalist. While rocking R&B and blues greats like B.B. and Albert King, Chuck Berry and Buddy Guy are obvious choices, Castro digs deep into their catalogs. He covers B.B. King's "Bad Case of Love," Albert King's "Everybody Want to Go to Heaven," Berry's "Tulane," and Guy's version of Willie Dixon's "When My Left Eye Jumps." More interesting, though, are Castro's '60s soul roots which he acknowledges in versions of songs made popular by Wilson Pickett (a powerful "I Found a Love"), Sam & Dave (Curtis Salgado joins in on a duet of "I Take What I Want"), Otis Redding (a thumping "Lovey Dovey" with Sista Monica Parker taking the Carla Thomas part) and James Brown (a swinging "I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On," which is a departure from Brown's usual funky work). Less successful are Castro's takes on Howlin' Wolf's "44" where his direct approach loses the original's voodoo marching vibe. John Lee Hooker's "Serve You Right to Suffer" sounds more like the J. Geils Band's cover than Hooker's spooky approach, with an ill-advised rocking middle section that misses the song's intent. Much better is Castro's succinct, sharp cover of Muddy Waters' "I Wants to Be Loved" where he toughens up the attack but maintains the tune's defiant drive. Pianist John Turk helps fatten the sound, keeping it raw with his work on the album's slow blues workouts such as Guy's "...Left Eye" and Ray Charles' "Come Back Baby." Castro is loose and tough, with his gritty voice and thick, clean guitar lines sounding confident and assertive. More than just a holding pattern until he writes new tunes, Gratitude is not only an enjoyable peek inside Tommy Castro's influences but a fascinating compilation of generally underexposed material from blues, soul and R&B greats. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Dedicated to late San Francisco blues heroes Stu Blank and John Lee Hooker and featuring Hooker's final vocal appearance, Guilty of Love (33rd Street Records) holds the promise of something special. Unfortunately, it's a bit flat, lacking the fire you might expect. While Castro's material is eclectic and clever, incorporating rock, soul, R&B, and roots, it's not always above cliché. Also, some tracks are given a subdued, if not sluggish treatment. "Face of Love," for example, is more low key than low down. The Otis Redding-styled "Whole Lot of Soul" doesn't pack a wallop, either. Castro does turn it up on the roots rocker "Shakin' the Good Hard Times Loose," sounding like a cross between Delbert McClinton and James Brown. And the good-time closer, "If You Aint Lovin, You Aint Livin," bringing to mind Bobby Bland, is genuinely fun and cool. Fittingly, Stu Blank, who sadly succumbed to cancer in 2001, gives the most memorable performance with his "Dirt Road Blues." This charged final performance on tape between Blank and Castro finally has some of the emotion and intensity that Castro brings to his famous club dates. ~ William Meyer, All Music Guide
'Live at the Fillmore'
Release Date 2/22/2000
Tracks 11
Label Blind Pig
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Blues-rock guitarist Castro brings us his fourth recording, an enhanced CD recorded live at his hometown, San Francisco-based Fillmore Auditorium. Castro is a good guitarist who is not hung up on pyrotechnics; he plays clean, undistorted licks in the basic tradition. Vocally, he is quite reminiscent of Tower of Power singer Emilio Castillo (check out "What Is Hip?" for the similarities.) This 11-song set starts off rocking on the straight-laced, organ-fired (by Jimmy Pugh) "Right as Rain," one of several tracks from previous discs. Castro is also into hot funk with horn help from trumpeter Tom Poole and tenor saxophonist Keith Crossan for "Like an Angel" and the 12-bar R&B-ish "Nasty Habits," all of which are Castro's tunes. "My Time After Awhile" is the most straight-blues-oriented number of the lot, slow and quietly sizzling. "Lucky in Love" and "I Got to Change" are more pop-oriented, the former in rock territory, the latter á la Otis Redding. Albert King's "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me?" is a loping blues-rock tune with Castro's best guitar improvs and most animated, feverish vocal. Even more into Otis Redding's bag, "Just a Man" is a sweet, slow soul sender, followed by the good, old-time type, midtempo, high-energy-injected rocker "Can't Keep a Good Man Down." Castro's rhythm section of bassist Randy McDonald and drummer Billy Lee Lewis finally doubles the time on the fastest tune, the typical '60s dance ditty "The Girl Can't Help It" with background vocals, and Castro exclaims, "it's not my thing, but we'll borrow it" before posing the strut of James Brown's "Sex Machine" in extended fashion for band intros and some enjoyable jamming. Every musician should put out a live club or concert date, yet few do these days. Castro's confidence is evident, his band is tight, and this CD produces a pretty good representation of what you hear in any given short set of Castro's performances. Three sets, or at least the best moments of that long night of party music, would have been even better. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Young guitar slinger Tommy Castro came back with his third Blind Pig album in early 1999, again produced by veteran Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray, Santana, Huey Lewis, etc.), and it's another bid for mainstream blues-rock success. From the opening notes of the kickoff tune, "Lucky in Love," Castro is in the driver's seat with a set of blues-rock originals that give him plenty of room to spray his Stevie Ray-inspired guitar licks in between his soul-man vocals. Dr. John makes guest keyboard appearances on "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" and "Don't Turn Your Heater Down," the latter also sporting a guest vocal turn from Delbert McClinton. An off-the-wall cover choice is "Chairman of the Board," sandwiched between solid originals like the ballad "Just a Man" and the funky "My Kind of Woman." There isn't much hard blues on this outing, but Castro continues to define his own spin on the form without being just another pretty-boy Stevie Ray Vaughan-abee in the process -- this being a very good thing. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
'Can't Keep a Good Man Down'
Release Date 5/5/1997
Tracks 12
Label Blind Pig
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
There's a clean San Francisco sheen to Tommy Castro's second album for Blind Pig, and it's not just the glossy production work of Jim Gaines (Santana, Huey Lewis and Stevie Ray Vaughan) that's responsible for it. Castro and his band have long been local favorites of the Bay area bar crowd, and his blues-rock/soul-pop synthesis with the occasional slow blues thrown in makes him another young contender for the yuppie throne of modern bluesdom. From the opening rock strut of "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" and "You Knew the Job Was Dangerous," Castro lays down lazy, in-the-pocket vocals (the only time he hits scream territory is on the closer, Albert King's "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me") pitted against in your face guitar blasts à la Stevie Ray Vaughan. These Texas-approved Stratocaster tones reach their apex on a five-minute-plus workout of Buddy Guy's "My Time After Awhile," where Castro literally wrenches every textbook tone and volume setting out of his instrument and makes this perhaps the most blues-approved moment of the set. A large quotient of varied originals abound, and the soulful strut of "I Want to Show You," "Take the Highway Down" and the funk jive of "High on the Hog" and "You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do" play off against the simplistic shuffle "You Only Go Around Once" and the low-down blues instrumental "Hycodan," an atmospheric duet between Castro's guitar and saxophonist Keith Crossan's late-night mood blowing. But the real blues moments are few and far between here -- this is blues-rock, no doubt about it, and the end result is music with crossover written all over it. If Huey Lewis & the News were to cut a blues album with a hotter guitar player in tow, it might end up sounding very much like this. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
'Exception to the Rule'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label Blind Pig
See Album Tracklist and Review
