I Got Love
Gulf Coast, 2022
9/10
The blues-rock guitarist Albert Castiglia brings us a very personal album, where Justine Tompkins (bass, vocals), Ephraim Lowell (drums, vocals) and Lewis Stephens (Hammond B3 organ, piano) help him make the most out of the very genuine songwriting.
“I Got Love” opens the listen with Castiglia’s gritty yet tuneful guitar licks, as the rugged vocals guide the sturdy blues rocker, and “Don’t Pray With The Devil” follows with the thumping rhythm section complementing the groove spirited climate.
Deeper into the listen, the playful and lively “Double Down” will get you searching for the nearest dance floor, while “Long Haul Daddy” bounces and shakes with an infectious rock’n’roll flavor that’s full of frisky piano.
Further still, “Freedomland” balances power and melody in a raw formula, and “Take My Name Out Of Your Mouth” exits the listen thick, emotive and full of significant guitar shredding, finger acrobatics on the keys and Castiglia’s memorable, expressive pipes.
Castiglia has been through much in the last two years, including loss, depression, illness and fear, and he channels those struggles into some of his best work to date, which is no easy feat considering the strength of his catalog of first rate blues.
Travels well with: Albert Castiglia- Wild And Free; Mike Zito & Friends- Rock’n’Roll: A Tribute To Chuck Berry