Review: 'A Bluesman Came To Town: A Blues Odyssey' by Tommy Castro

Tommy Castro

By Martine Ehrenclou

Internationally beloved soul-blues rocker, Tommy Castro is set to release A Bluesman Came to Town: A Blues Odyssey on September 17, via Alligator Records, produced by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter, Tom Hambridge. It’s a special project created by the multi award-winning blues, rock, R&B, and roots musician, Tommy Castro.

Castro and Hambridge composed 13 songs (with contributions from Richard Fleming, Terry Wilson and Ron Alan Cohen) that chronicle the journey of a young farmhand in the country who learns guitar and falls in love with the blues. Each of the tracks are pivotal points in this young musician’s career. Concept albums work when each track can stand on its own merit, and here that’s true.

The album is packed with all-star musicians including Tommy Castro (guitar and vocals), Tom Hambridge (drums, percussion, background vocals), Rob McNelley (guitar) Tommy McDonald (bass), Kevin McKendree (keyboards), Jimmy Hall (harmonica, vocals) and various other musical heavyweights on select songs.

You can’t go wrong with any album by Tommy Castro, and live he is one of the best. He’s been awarded multiple Blues Music Awards for Blues Male Artist of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, and with his band The Painkillers, Band of the Year.

On A Bluesman Came to Town: A Blues Odyssey, Castro’s vocals are authentic and real, sung from the heart of storytelling. His guitar chops are reminiscent of Albert Collins and Freddie King, and that tells you all you need to know right there.

Always one for heart-stomping groove and soul-testifying, Tommy Castro opens the album with “Somewhere,” an inviting blues track about the main character of this opus who dreams of hitching a ride to escape the mundane yet demanding life on a farm. Tommy’s slide guitar riffs weave around Jimmy Hall’s expert harmonica–a fiery conversation indeed.

Tommy Castro says about the album, “It’s based on a classic hero’s journey—the odyssey of a musician’s life.”

It’s almost as if Tommy Castro, with his expressive, gritty voice, beckons you to lean in close and listen because he’s got a good story to tell. And listen you will because there’s few like him who can fire up his guitar and vocals and instantly have an audience’s attention.

Title track, “A Bluesman Came To Town,” is a scorching blues rocker riding a funky groove with Castro’s blistering guitar chops and powerful vocals. “Once he heard that guitar, it shook him to the ground.” And here the young man’s love of the blues launches him on a musician’s pursuit of a professional music career that succeeds, only to crash and burn in the darkness of loveless romantic encounters, indulgences in drugs and alcohol, and a dark aftermath. The rebirth comes when he hits bottom and realizes the errors of his ways and returns home with a renewed sense of what is truly important in life.

A gospel-esque, blues boogie number, “Child Don’t Go” has Terri Odabi sharing the vocal spotlight with Castro. What a voice. Mike Emerson slays it on piano alongside Castro displaying some fine picking on guitar.

Another standout, “Hustle” is a funkier-than-funky, horn-infused ditty that simply must be listened to loud. Talk about in the pocket bass, guitar, and drums. Horns by Keith Crossan are an absolute joy–clean, present and punchy. Castro has a way with rhythm, and he ushers in this old-school rhythmic blues tune from a place of true confidence, completely at home in this genre.

The album shifts to a heavier vibe with songs about the temptations and challenges of a professional musician on the road. “Blues Prisoner” is a slow blues about feeling trapped in a life of one’s own design. It’s a moving number with Castro at his most soulful on vocals, organic and sincere. Kevin McKendree’s piano is beautiful—a maestro on keys. Heavy on guitar, there’s plenty to savor for guitar fans with Castro’s six-string wizardry.

After catching a lucky break and gaining traction in the music industry, the story of the young bluesman continues as he trips and falls in “Women, Drugs and Alcohol,” a blues rocker about addiction. The lyrics are authentic and speak painful truths. Castro’s crunchy guitar adds to the grittiness of the story.

“Bring It On Back” is the awakening amidst the rubble for the young bluesman, clothed in a spirited blues rock number with a Led Zeppelin feel to the catchy guitar hooks. Castro’s wailing slide guitar fuels his vocals as he sings about finding the way back to one’s spirit. “What you’re looking for, you already got.”

A Bluesman Came To Town returns to the beginning with “Somewhere (Reprise),” a rootsy, acoustic blues number about circling back to a simpler, more gratifying life with a renewed focus on the joy of the present. The song harkens back to early Delta blues with acoustic slide guitar. A delight.

Listen to “Somewhere”