TOMMY CASTRO - Right As Rain

Tommy Castro plays the blues by the book, but it's a solid text. On numbers like "Right As Rain" and "I've Got to Change," he applies the rules of Memphis soul: horns, organ, a chorus of background singers, plus his own signature combination of shouted vocals and spare, driving guitar. The rich, saxlike tone of his crashing chords on the title track is a gas, and its solo comes in thoughtful, climbing phrases. That's a technique for building excitement he shares with fellow San Francisco Bay Area bluesman Robert Cray. Castro's just as comfortable with an old-fashioned shuffle like "Kickin' In," where his guitar purrs through a warm-butter solo before a big-chorus finale. Castro's trouble is that he lacks restraint. There's always a big chorus or a powerhouse chord in the mix, and his constant shouting bludgeons the emotional resonance of his lyrics. So a potential heartbreaker like "If I Had a Nickel" becomes merely a brass-knuckled punch to the eardrum.

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