Blues

Albert Castiglia ‎– Up All Night (2017)

2018-12-18T14:19:14Z

Albert Castiglia ‎– Up All Night (2017)


1 	Hoodoo On Me 	
2 	I Been Up All Night 	
3 	Three Legged Dog 	
4 	95 South 	
5 	Knocked Down Loaded 	
6 	Quit Your Bitching 	
7 	Woman Don't Lie 	
8 	Unhappy House Of Blues 	
9 	Delilah 	
10 	Chase Her Around The House 	
11 	You Got Me To That Place 

Bass – Jimmy Pritchard
Blues Harp – Johnny Sansone
Drums – Brian Menendez
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Albert Castiglia
Guitar, Vocals – Mike Zito
Keyboards – Lewis Stephens
Slide Guitar – Sonny Landreth

Guitarist Albert Castiglia made the trip to Dockside Studio in Maurice, La to record his latest project, once again pairing up with Mike Zito in the role of producer. Under Zito’s guidance, Castiglia tightened up his sound on his last Ruf Records release, Big Dog, particularly with his vocals. The significant change on the new recording is the guitarist is backed by his touring band, featuring Jimmy Pritchard on bass and Brian Menendez on drums. Their presence creates a palpable comfort zone for the guitarist to operate in while presenting listeners with a true representation of the band’s live sound.

The opening number, Zito’s “Hoodoo On Me,” has a pulsating bass line underneath Castiglia’s stirring lament concerning a woman casting bewitching spells. His only recourse is to attempt an exorcism with the help of his guitar. “I Been Up All Night” finds the leader sitting at home with plenty of woman troubles, “….drinking strong black coffee, rolling joints as big around as my thumb.” Menendez uses his cymbals to flavor Castiglia’s wah-wah infused guitar forays. Noted Florida songwriter Graham Wood Drout contributed two originals, with “Three Legged Dog” being a hard-edged funky rocker while “Knock Down Loaded” has plenty of killer guitar licks.

The pace slows on “Quit Your Bitching,” another one written by Zito, that finds Castiglia in no mood to listen to his woman’s complaints. Lewis Stephens fleshes out the arrangement with embellishments on the organ. Another guest, Johnny Sansone, blows some fine harp on Cyril Neville’s “Unhappy House Of Blues,” as Castiglia again finds himself in the midst of a another huge helping of relationship issues. So,naturally, he seeks relief and redemption through his guitar. “95 South” is a full-throttle, on-the-road rocker with Menendez providing the driving beat and Sonny Landreth using his slide guitar to supercharge the affair.

Sansone returns on “Delilah,” a sprightly plea for a break from the telling effects of high living. Castiglia is in a randy mood after a long spell on the road, so he issues a rollicking warning about his homecoming plans on “Chase Her Around The House,” his fiery guitar conveying the urgency of the situation. Zito adds backing vocals on the closer, a Pritchard original “You Got Me To That Place,” and joins Castiglia on acoustic guitar for a stripped-down, infectious finale.

The only issue with the disc is the generic nature of some of the tracks. But once Castiglia and his crack rhythm section get going, there is no shortage of highlights. Zito once again shows that he has the knack for getting the best out of Castiglia. That is great news for listeners who want a whole lot of rock with their blues! ---Mark Thompson, bluesblastmagazine.com

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Albert Castiglia - Big Dog (2016)

2017-10-23T13:56:10Z

Albert Castiglia - Big Dog (2016)


1 	Let The Big Dog Eat 	
2 	Don't Let Them Fool You 	
3 	Get Your Ass In The Van 	
4 	Drowning At The Bottom 	
5 	Let's Make Love In The Morning 	
6 	What I Like About Miami 	
7 	Easy Distance 	
8 	Where Did I Go Wrong 	
9 	Where The Devil Makes His Deals 	
10 	What The Hell Was I Thinking 	
11 	Somehow

Albert Castiglia - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Jumpin' Johnny Sansone – Harmonica
Lewis Stephens - Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer
Scott Sutherland - Guitar (Bass)
Mike Zito - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Vocals

Albert Castiglia’s Big Dog is an album with BIG sound! It is exactly what a contemporary blues album should be. It is a nod to the past and a masterful, modern sound that delivers a new dish to the blue’s buffet. The album was produced by Mike Zito, who also contributes guitar, vocals and percussion. The combination of Zito and Castiglia both in production and musical collaboration is nothing short of spectacular. Scot Sutherland on bass, Rob Lee on drums, Lewis Stephens on keyboards and Johnny Samson on harmonica are the excellent backing musicians on this recording. The album has a live feel without a garage band vibe. Nor is it too polished that it dulls the rough edges that give it life. Due to excellent production and the tightness of the backing musicians, it walks a perfect line between these two extremes. The tracks are made more powerful by Thomas Ruf, who, as Executive Producer wanted Castiglia to make a “raw, rocking blues record”. Castiglia’s natural raw style along with Mike Zito’s flare for a powerful performance was a winning combination. The album was recorded at Dockside, a Studio in Mauruce, LA, where Junior Wells recorded his last studio album, Come On In This House. Castaglia has mentioned in various interviews how much this connection meant to him and added to the “mojo” of the recording. He toured with Wells in the 90’s as part of Well’s band and credits Wells with “… opening the door for him” to “be a Chicago bluesman”. Engineering, mixing and mastering was done by David Farrell who has engineered Zito in the past. Castiglia credits the production team with “helping him nail” “a record that best represented who I am, as a musician, singer, guitarist and live artist”. Indeed Big Dog succeeds in making Castiglia’s sixth album a superb example of his musical talents.

There are eleven tracks of blazing guitar, excellent musicianship, expressive vocals and great song writing. Six songs on the album were written/co-written by Castiglia. It is an album that brings the blues very much alive in a big way. It reaches back to Castiglia’s early influences such as Junior Wells, Chicago blues and even further back to the early blues with lyrical references to the infamous crossroads (“Get Your Ass in the Van”) and the bluesman’s devil (“Where the Devil Makes his Deals”). Musically, he makes use of call and response, particularly in “Don’t Let them Fool Ya” and slow, smooth blues in “Where Did I Go Wrong” featuring Johnny Sansone on harmonica and also some boogie-woogie in “What the Hell was I Thinking” featuring Lewis Stephens on keyboards.

The album opens with a searing guitar solo in “Let the Big Dog Eat”. The solo grabs you before Castiglia’s rough, raspy, raw vocals kick in. The song ends with a few barks from Castiglia. This sets the tone for the rest of the album which covers quite a bit of territory. Big Dog has everything from raucous guitar jams with Zito in ” Don’t Let Them Fool Ya”, which was written by Zito about cheating women to a slower, blusier story of an alcoholic wife in “Drowning at the Bottom” written by Luther Allison and James Solberg where Castiglia lets his guitar cry the blues for the pain in this song. In “Get Your Ass in the Van”, written by Castiglia, humor is added as he sings about those musicans wanting instant fame. One line in particular, “this ain’t no American Idol”, pretty much sums up the sarcastic humor of the song along with the message he wants to get across about paying your dues in the music business. His slide guitar in this song sets a great example for those quick fame seekers. “Let’s Make Love in the Morning”, written by Castiglia and Joel Zoss, is a smooth blues ballad with just a touch of country rock. “What I Like About Miami”, written by Charlie Pickett et. al., is a funky blues song with a great hook. Castiglia gets down, dirty and swampy in “Where the Devil Makes his Deals” about a bluesman making deals with the devil. The song is blue’s perfection with Sansone on harmonica and a prominent heavy bass and drum line. As in the other songs on this album, the guitar work of Castiglia and Zito with their blazing solos and complimenting style pushes the music to a level few can achieve. Big Dog concludes with “What the Hell was I Thinking”, a fast paced boogie-woogie about “making promises I just can’t keep”. This is another song with great hooks, vocals and lively piano by Lewis Stephens. The last song on Big Dog, “Somehow”, is a slow, emotional blues ballad co-written with Cyril Neville about the social wrongs in our society. It is a song with a message that is difficult to ignore – or forget. “Take a look around, tell me what you see, take a look in the mirror are you brave, are you free”? The song sites several tragic examples of people living around us who’s lives are touched by poverty, lost hope and other very real social ills.

This is one of the best albums I have listened to this year. The music is excellent, it brings life to older blues traditions and musical forms with contemporary, energetic musical artistry. The songs are all well written and Castiglia brings everything he’s got to each one, with Zito and the other musicians fully supporting him. The guitar work, energy and intuitive interplay between Castiglia and Zito is really amazing. Castiglia stated that he could “feel the mojo in the recording studio”. It comes through the album too. The album has been charting in the top ten most of the summer. It is that good. Big Dog is a big deal. ---Kim Derr, bluesblastmagazine.com

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Albert Castiglia - Living The Dream (2012)

2012-12-30T17:35:20Z

Albert Castiglia - Living The Dream (2012)


01. Living the Dream - 3:53  
02. The Man - 4:11  
03. Freddies Boogie - 4:48  
04. Directly from My Heart to You - 4:38  
05. Sometimes You Win - 4:46  
06. Public Enemy #9 - 3:38  
07. Lovin Cup - 4:10  
08. Fat Cat - 3:37  
09. I Want Her for Myself - 3:06  
10. Walk the Backstreets - 9:05  
11. Call Me When You Need Me - 3:48  
12. Parchman Farm - 5:56

Albert Castiglia – guitars, vocals
John Ginty – Hammond B3, piano
A.J. Kelly – bass
Sandy Mack – harmonica
Juke Joint Jonny Rizzo – acoustic slide guitar
Emedin Rivera – percussion

Albert Castiglia earned his blues cred as a member of Junior Wells' band, but his resumé is irrelevant at this point in his career. His muscular vocal style, incendiary guitar work, and fine songwriting are all the signs of an artist who's in it for the love of music, a fact he wryly acknowledges on this album's title track. With John Ginty's big Hammond B-3 lending support to his chattering rhythm guitar work, Castiglia sings "The road to riches is playing guitar, that's why I'm living inside my car" before laying down another stinging guitar solo. "The Man" is a blues mambo that protests the damage bankers have done to the country with a bitterly humorous lyric and some snarling lead guitar. A modified Bo Diddley beat drives "Public Enemy #9," another wry tale of street life, while "I Want Her for Myself" is a more traditional country blues thang with driving acoustic guitar and cool harmonica work by Sandy Mack. Graham Wood Drout's "Sometimes You Win" is another acoustic workout, a brooding meditation carried by only by Castiglia's acoustic guitar and vocals. Castiglia shows off his guitar prowess on a supersonic version of Freddie King's "Freddie's Boogie" featuring another solid performance by John Ginty on the B-3. He demolishes Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm" with a metallic guitar assault and a sneering, growling vocal and gives Little Richard's "Directly from My Heart to You" the familiar feel of an early New Orleans R&B jam, again with the able work of John Ginty, this time on piano. ---j. poet, allmusic.com

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Albert Castiglia - Keeping On (2010)

2012-02-10T10:45:58Z

Albert Castiglia - Keeping On (2010)


01. Cadillac Assembly Line (Sir Mack Rice)
02. Till I Fell In Love With You (Bob Dylan)
03. Mojo 305 (Albert Castiglia, Steven Gaskell, Jerome Mascaro)			play
04. Keep On Keepin' On (Albert Castiglia)
05. My Baby Is Now On My Mind (T-Bone Walker)							play
06. Do You Love Me (Jack Fickel)
07. Could Not Ask For More (Peter Green)
08. Sweet Southern Angel (Albert Castiglia) with Toby Walker
09. Murderin' Blues (Robert Nighthawk) with Toby Walker
10. Goin Upstairs (John Lee Hooker)
11. Gettin' By (Albert Castiglia)
12. Closing Time (Albert Castiglia

Albert Castiglia (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); 
Toby Walker (dobro); 
Bill "Mighty" Quinn (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); 
Bob Amsell (drums); 
Emedin Rivera (congas); 
Nicole Hart (background vocals).

Albert Castiglia’s been around long enough to understand the blues. Keepin' On is his fifth release, and the Miami-based guitarist used to tour with the late Junior Wells. He’s certainly got chops to spare – Castiglia’s fiery fretwork is intense but fluid, and he’s inventive enough within the blues-rock power trio format.

And if power is what turns your crank, there’s much to like about his latest. Castiglia approaches almost every tune with unbridled ferocity, moving from chunky rhythms to snarling leads with effortless ease. But subtlety and nuance are nowhere to be found, and in truth, despite a brief acoustic interlude that provides a bit of a respite, the net result is more tiring than satisfying.

The trouble is that Castiglia seems to have only one mood, regardless of the tune. Whether he’s bemoaning the plight of the working man on “Keep On Keepin’ On” or expressing thanks for the love of a good woman on Peter Green’s “Could Not Ask For More,” Castiglia’s solos sound unrelentingly angry. And one gets the sense that the songs are simply vehicles for his six-string excursions – musical exercise equipment, if you will – rather than stories to be told.

Castiglia shows good taste in covers, with a track from Bob Dylan (“Till I Fell In Love With You”) a menacing “Murdering Blues” from Robert Nighthawk, and lesser known tunes from T-Bone Walker (“My Baby Is Now On My Mind”) and John Lee Hooker (“Goin’ Upstairs”). But his approach remains monochromatic, with lots of notes that simply don’t seem to add up to much in the end.

Castiglia’s own band (bassist AJ Kelly and drummer Bob Amsel) is rounded out by a few guests, notably Bill ‘Mighty” Quinn on B3 and piano, dobro ace Toby Walker, and an uncredited turn on harmonica from Sandy Mack. All deliver fine performances, but apart from duets between Walker and Castiglia on “Sweet Southern Angel” and the aforementioned “Murderin’ Blues” (back to back, the two acoustic tunes provide a welcome break from the pedal-to-the-metal fireworks), they’re invariably overshadowed by Castiglia’s ferocious guitar.

Castiglia has talent, to be sure – apart from subtlety, his fretwork leaves nothing to be desired, and his vocals are more than adequate in context. But impressive guitar playing is just that - interesting to hear, but not terribly compelling in the long run. Castiglia makes a strong first impression, but his music is a bit like listening to someone who yells at full volume all the time. Here’s hoping he’ll pay more attention to the meaning of the tunes next time out, and temper his ferocity with a more nuanced approach that eschews athletics for actual expression … ---John Taylor, blogcritics.org

First, let me state this is a GREAT BLUES ALBUM. Now I can tell you a funny story. I was lying in bed reading a book and listening to Elwood Blues 'House of Blues' radio hour. It was the Best of 2010 year end countdown. So I was excited to hear what Elwood chose as his top 10. I am a blues loving man so I had heard songs 10 through 6 on the countdown, but as song 5 started, my brain froze, my ears literally turned my head to the radio and my jaw hit the floor,(okay pillow, I was reading in bed). What song is this, who's singing and who the efff is playing the guitar. It was a monster of a song and I just sat there enjoying it, something I haven't done since my older brother put on Thorogood's 'Move It On Over' and I stopped in my tracks to listen to 'The Sky Is Crying' Thorogood's version of the Elmore James song from 1978.

Albert Castiglia is a very good singer/songwriter and will only get better as the next albums come out. His Guitar Playing was phenomenal. He deserved to be on the Best of List with Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Janiva Magness, Charlie Musselwhite and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. You must get this CD, we must start a (Ka-Steel-Ya) fan club. We must get this Blues Man to tour America, I live in California, so He has to bring his band to San Francisco and Oakland area. Please, Buy this album, pay for the mp3 downloads, go to his website and buy a t-shirt. My favorite song is 'Keep On Keepin' On', a song as relevant today as it ever will be. A fine balance between Castiglia written songs and cover versions make this a 5 star review. --- Brian Brady (Castro Valley, CA), amazon.com

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Graham Wood Drout & Albert Castiglia - Bittersweet Sessions (2005)

2011-11-07T12:46:53Z

Albert Castiglia - The Bittersweet Sessions (With Graham Wood Drout) (2005)


01. The Ghosts Of Mississippi - 5:44 
02. Ain't No Way To Get Along - 3:22 
03. 32/20 - 4:31 
04. Sweet Home Chicago - 7:07 
05. Pretty Thing - 4:54 						play
06. Blow Wind Blow - 4:49						play 
07. Ticket Agent Blues - 5:02 
08. Sitting On Top Of The World - 5:43 
09. Prescription For The Blues - 4:02 
10. The Sky Is Crying - 7:08 
11. 3 Fingered Fellas Named "Short - 3:11 
12. I Shall Be Released - 6:26

Little Silver Records announced that the new album from Albert Castiglia and Graham Wood Drout “; Bittersweet Sessions “is now available and features live and acoustic duo performances recorded last year Bittersweet Blues, a place with live music near Fort Lauderdale, FL .

“This is something that Albert and I wanted to do for a long time,” reports Drout. “It was one of those great nights and we felt very happy that the show was captured.” Little Silver Records has released the first single, “Ghosts of Mississippi”(composed by Drout and also appears as the title track to Joey Gilmore CD by that name) to the radio using the new method of distribution of direct download for program directors and music directors.

mix of originals, standards and familiar songs Blues “Bittersweet Sessions” gives a sense of old school flavor with new recipes school performed live and acoustically at Bittersweet Blues on April 12, 2005. Distinctive song titles: “The Ghosts of Mississippi”(G. Drout), 32/20(Robert Johnson), Pretty Thing(Willie Dixon) and an outstanding version of Bob Dylan's “I Shall Be Released.”

For a young age, Castiglia has history – History of Blues. In 1990 he joined the Miami Blues Authority and won “Best Blues Guitarist” from New Times Magazine. He was discovered by the legendary Junior Wells, who immediately hired Castiglia to his own guitarist / vocalist on several world tours. After passing Wells, Castiglia ventured on a solo career and released “Burn” working with his longtime friend, Graham Wood Drout of Iko-Iko. Sophomore solo Castiglia will be released in early spring of 2006.

The second live record and the fifth time overall to bear his name, Graham Wood Drout is a Miami legend who has worked with a literal “who's who” of Rock, Blues and country music. Emphasizing his career over 25 years of Graham Wood Drout team that Iko Iko-, presented performances that have appeared in the films “Cape Fear”, “Contact” and AAA / Blues / Alt favorite radio Country “(I've Got) Gris-Gris” “Bag Me, Tag Me, Take Me Away” and “Celebration”, which are still very popular today. Drout received the award for “Best Blues Band” and “Songwriter of the Year” from New Times Magazine, the Jammy Award for “Best Blues Band” and his music was described by Blues Revue magazine “Soul filling ideas that flow from the pen[Drout is] and to the heart of the listener … the result is breathtaking. ”

capacity Drout to discover outstanding musical talent is impressive. So-called “voodoo rock” band line up hosted many premier performers(Ron Dziubla / Chayanne, Ricky Martin, Nick Kane / Mavericks, Glen Caruba / Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Bruce Springsteen, Mike Bauer / Pam Tillis, Point of Grace) from their team home debut for the first cabaret in Miami, Tobacco Road and has a backup who's who of legendary performers in different places. --- liveblues.blogspot.com

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Albert Castiglia – Burn (2002)

2011-11-06T12:03:01Z

Albert Castiglia – Burn (2002)


01. I Didn't Know - 3:36 
02. Since You've Been Gone - 5:05 
03. Burn - 4:39 
04. Can't Be Satisfied - 2:40				play 
05. Teasing The Trains - 3:15				play 
06. No One To Blame - 3:37 
07. Take Me With You When You Go - 4:27 
08. The Day The Old Man Died - 5:00 
09. Closing Time - 4:05 
10. Cadillac Assembly Line LIVE - 5:18 
11. Hoodoo Man Blues LIVE - 9:49

Albert Castiglia – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar & dobro
Graham Drout – bass
Larry Williams – guitar
Cameron Robb – drums
Howard Laravea – keyboards
Dana Robbins – saxophone
Jerrod Cring – percussion, backing vocals

Albert Castiglia pronounced “ka-STEEL-ya” is Keepin On With the release of his 5th CD. Castiglia’s history is as colorful as his home town of Miami, Florida. He got a big break after meeting Junior Wells in 1996, and became Junior’s lead guitar player before Wells died in 1998. After Wells passed, he toured with Sandra Hall. Returning to South Florida after launching his solo career releasing his first CD, Burn (2002), a self-release, collaborating with his long time friend, Graham Wood Drout. Drout’s songs became the perfect vehicle for Castiglia’s soulful vocals. In 2006, he released A Stone’s Throw, his second album and first release for Blues Leaf Record. Castiglia and Drout also released a live CD together, titled Bittersweet Sessions, in 2005.His 2008 CD, These are the Days contained five original Castiglia songs, including a tribute to his mentor Junior Wells, “Godfather of the Blues.” The cover songs from These are the Days paid tribute to a wide range of styles and artists. These are the Days earned him a Blues Music Award nomination for “Song of the Year” for his original, “Bad Year Blues.” Castiglia was nominated again by the Illinois Blues Blast Awards and walked away a winner for “Song of the Year” for “Bad Year Blues,” as well as being nominated for the “Sean Costello Rising Star Award.” Keepin On features five new original tunes, plus other covers of songs by John Lee Hooker, Mack Rice, T-Bone Walker, Robert Nighthawk and Bob Dylan “I did two acoustic songs and enlisted dobro genius Toby Walker for them,’ says Castiglia about the new CD. “Toby came in originally to play on a song I wrote called ‘Sweet Southern Angel.’ That went so well and quickly, that we wound up doing another number for the hell of it, Robert Nighthawk's ‘Murderin' Blues.’ I can honestly sum up those two tunes with one word, ‘Magic.’ --- reverbnation.com

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Albert Castiglia - A Stone's Throw (2006)

2010-07-27T10:50:39Z

Albert Castiglia - A Stone's Throw (2006)


   1. Big Toe
   2. Walking Blues
   3. Youth Wants To Know
   4. Ghosts Of Mississippi
   5. Hurricane Blues
   6. Party Till The Cows Come Home
   7. Hoodoo Man Blues
   8. Speed On
   9. Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt
  10. Crying The Blues
  11. Someone Else's Problem
  12. Sittin And Waitin

Albert Castiglia (vocals, guitar); 
Sandy Mack (harmonica); 
Ned Berndt (drums).

To me Castiglia is a like a Deeper South Stevie Ray Vaughan- that's what I think of when I hear "A Stone's Throw". To back up that assertion I suggest a listen to the humorous opener "Big Toe". Once the song kicks in you got yourself a very "Pride & Joy"-like riff and some authentic Texas throaty (yet nasal) singing. In it Castiglia says: "Working all day in the sun/Big bossman got a big shotgun/I'm going take my shovel and cut off my big toe/If I can't walk I won't have to work no more". Now that's hatin' your job! More important, is the fast fingered guitar solo that he makes seem so easy. I can't even play air guitar like that. "Toe" was written by Graham Wood Drout (of Iko Iko) as was the fantastic "The Ghosts Of Mississippi". I was already familiar with this latter gem via Joey Gilmore but instead of Gilmore's piledriving arrangement Castigilia treats the song to a fast paced acoustic/slide guitar boogie which is closer to Drout's own version.

To his credit Castiglia breathes new life into Robert Johnson's Jurassic Blues number "Walking Blues" which closes with a 2 minute guitar avalanche and he rocks the house with Kim Wilson's "Sittin And Thinkin". Plus, Castiglia offers up four original compositions like the Katrina song "Hurricane Blues", which incidentally rocks you like a hurricane, funky "Speed On" that shows off his vocals with slippery phrasing and the cool, midtempo "Crying The Blues " where he finds his woman is "sleepin' and creepin' with every friend she can find". His guitar solos are nearly Santana-esque on this latter cut, thoroughly proving Castiglia is no three riff stiff but a consistently creative and versatile picker. Methinks this record will place Castiglia but a "stone's throw" from the upper echelon of guitar wizards in the minds of Blues guitar aficionados. --- liveblues.blogspot.com

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Albert Castiglia - These Are The Days (2008)

2010-02-27T23:29:08Z

Albert Castiglia - These Are The Days (2008)


1. Bad Year Blues
2. He's Got All the Whiskey
3.Loan Me a Dime
4. Godfather of the Blues
5. Celebration
6. Night Time Is the Right Time
7. Catfish
8. Another Bloody Day
9. Need Your Love So Bad
10. Twister
11.Blues for Evan

Personnel: 
Albert Castiglia (vocals, guitar); 
Kenny Sorensen (harmonica); 
Susan Lusher (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); 
Rio Clemente (organ); 
Susan Lushner (keyboards); 
Steve Gaskell (bass instrument, bass guitar); 
Bob Amsell (drums); 
Nicole Hart, Sweet Suzi Smith, Nicolette Hart (background vocals).

This is a joltingly strong album from a virtuoso bluesman whose career is gaining velocity. These Are the Days is Albert Castiglia's newest disc, and it's eclectic, electric and flat-out excellent.There's nothing typical about these cuts.High-gain, rockin' music mixes with some moody acoustic picking that can be downright eerie, particularly on an eccentric baseball-flavored number called Catfish written by an eccentric guy named Robert Dylan.The disc also features some deeply personal (but seriously rhythmic) songs written by Castiglia, notably including Godfather of the Blues, which is a hot-shuffle tribute to Albert's former boss in Chicago, the late Junior Wells. Also powerful is Another Bloody Day, which blends some smoking Stratocaster tones with a sharp anti-war message aimed at the current D.C. military-industrial brain-trust. Another of my favorites is the wry Bad Year Blues.All the covers here are worthwhile, but I think the most sizzling one is Night Time Is the Right Time, which is packed with sounds to love. Albert's gritty vocal is outstanding, the guitar work is excellent, and the sexy-ladies background singing is very, very nice. The album's title derives from the lyrics of Celebration , a great song on the disc written by Castiglia's friend and musical collaborator Graham Wood Drout, leader of the Florida-famous swamp-boogie band Iko Iko. This song is one of the elements that make the album rise above the 12-bar blues routine. It has a mystic feel and sounds like it's already been a hit before, emerging as a folk-rock anthem from an alternate universe.If all this sounds as though I'm a Castiglia aficionado, hey I'm guilty. But there's a reason: The man's music is better than good. By Richard Wallace--Florida based bluesman Albert Castiglia opens his latest release These Are the Days with the rollicking original composition “Bad Year Blues”. This track is perhaps the pick of the original tunes with strong vocals and scorching, masterful slide work. Among the eleven tracks that make up this record are five Castiglia originals mixed in with blues classics featuring exceptionally soulful vocals and strong guitar work.One of the highlights is found in a cover of “Loan Me a Dime” – best known as a Boz Scoggs classic - with vocals that put the listener right in Castiglia’s shoes and guitar work that tells the rest of the story.Other listener favorites will be “Need Your Love So Bad” – reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green and “Night Time is the Right Time” with a strong groove and a good mix of supporting elements. ---Illinois Phil, livebluesworld.com

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