Albert Castiglia (pronounced “ka-STEEL-ya”) has been in the business of Blues for twenty years, and with his new album, Keepin’ On, Castiglia takes audiences on a twelve-track ride of power house guitar playing entwined with a set of gruff vocals. But, while the talent is obvious, the sense of dimension within this artist is not.
From the start it is easy to see that Castiglia knows his way around a song. “Cadillac Assembly Line” introduces the audience to rocking blues with an energetic guitar riff that never really seems to end from there on in. If lyrics, or even a story is what you’re looking for, it won’t be found in the confines of this record. The album as a whole seems to be a vehicle to showcase Castiglia’s skills with his instrument, rather than his ability to connect with listeners.
With each new tune comes the hope of seeing the softer side of Castiglia but unfortunately, he seems to have discovered his knack for huffy singing and isn’t giving it up anytime soon. Only in the acoustic delights of “Sweet Southern Angel” and “Murderin’ Blues”, is he finally giving his listeners a break from the intensity infused rest of the album. However, with the two being back to back, there’s no other option for the rest of the record but straight electric strumming and not much else.
Castiglia’s style tends to become a bit monotonous as the album goes on, making the listener yearn for something a tad mellower. There are only so many roaring guitar solos one can hear before the tone becomes old news. Hopefully, in the future, Castiglia will move past his own desire to overpower and provide fans with a wider range of emotions and sounds.
Looking at your qualifications I just can’t figure why you would want to write a blues critique, other than of course the statement that you will be writing whatever you can to get your opinion out into the universe, whether people want it or not. Scary!