Hard Believer [PA]

Performer: Tommy Castro
Engineer: John Porter; Ari Rios; Bonnie Hayes
Producer: John Porter; Ari Rios; Tal Morris; Bonnie Hayes
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Personnel: Tommy Castro (vocals, guitar); John Porter (slide guitar); Keith Crossan (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, background vocals); Tom Poole (trumpet, flugelhorn); Tony Stead (keyboards); Ronnie Smith (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Amber Morris (background vocals). Audio Mixer: John Porter. Photographer: Johnny Ace . Castro's first album recorded for mighty blues indie Alligator 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. But 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. 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. It's a marked change from Castro's anything-goes concerts where the songs are tightly rehearsed, yet open for improvisation. 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. Even 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.

Living Blues (p.38) - "HARD BELIEVER sees Castro, who continues to be one of the most prolific artists in modern blues, bleeding pure Memphis soul."

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