It's easy to be a 'Hard Believer' in Tommy Castro's music

It's easy to be a 'Hard Believer' in Tommy Castro's music
November 25, 2009
By: Emily Cary
The Washington Examiner

Tommy Castro's Alligator Records debut, "Hard Believer," is solid proof that the guitarist/singer and winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award for Entertainer of the Year is in top form. His shows at the Birchmere and Rams Head on Stage bracket Thanksgiving with two evenings of driving energy and soulful singing.

"When I got a nice offer from Alligator to make a record, I knew I didn't want to make the same record over again, so I first set out to write some new songs with some great songwriters," he said. "I like co-writing because two heads are better than one. They pull great stuff out of me, but I stay in control to make certain the lyrics are strong. With the input of producer John Porter, I chose two cover songs. After kicking it around a lot, I turned Boy Dylan's 'Gotta Serve Somebody' into a guitar song and it works."

Growing up in the Bay Area, Castro began sneaking his older brother's guitar and playing along with recordings by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and other top rock 'n' roll stars of the day. After discovering Paul Butterfield, Taj Mahal, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, he set about developing his own style, an amalgamation of rock, blues and soul, the perfect foil for his distinctive gravelly voice.

Even though music was something he did for fun rather than something he expected to do for a living, it was not long before he was playing professionally in the Bay Area. Following several years with the Warner Bros. Records' band, he began leading his own bands and has cut a dozen recordings since 1994. His second, "Exception to the Rule," won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album. At the same time, he was named the area's Outstanding Blues Musician.

Topping a decade of increased recognition nationwide, the Tommy Castro Band spent three seasons as the house band for the "NBC Comedy Showcase."

"Hard Believer" captures the essence of Castro's blues guitar and the voice that conveys lyrics directly from deep in his soul to the heart of the listener. At the outset of the first number, "Definition of Insanity," he establishes the driving beat that he and the band maintain throughout. "Make It Back To Memphis," one of many standouts amid a stellar collection, stuns the listener with pulsating energy.

While the instrumental power emanates from Castro and the five crack musicians who recorded with him and now join him on tour, the secret dimension of every song is Castro's voice. He says it was always there, natural without sounding forced, and he hears the same gritty quality emerge in the voice of his son, now 11. He is never more compelling than in "The Trouble with Soul," the final song on the album with a softer touch than the preceding numbers.