Grits & Glory Albert Castiglia

• 1 In My America 05:22
• 2 I’m Afraid To Fall Asleep 04:27
• 3 Uncertainty 06:14
• 4 Michigan Avenue 03:57
• 5 Sack The Juggler 03:19
• 6 Slumlord Billionaire 05:22
• 7 The Milk Is Still Good 05:04
• 8 Don’t Burn Down The Bridge 03:33
• 9 When The Coin Came Callin' 03:33
• 10 Afro Blue 06:42
• 11 Yer Blues 04:21
• Total Runtime 51:54

Info zu Grits & Glory

Albert Castiglia hält sich auf »Grits & Glory«, seinem neuesten Solo-Studioalbum bei Gulf Coast Records, das in den legendären Abbey Road Studios aufgenommen wurde, nicht zurück. Die Platte fühlt sich wie ein Moment der Vollendung an – sie verbindet Albert wieder mit dem staunenden, Gitarre spielenden Jungen aus New York, dessen Welt durch eine 8-Spur-Aufnahme von Rubber Soul auf dem Weg zu einem Baseballspiel von Schwarz-Weiß zu Technicolor umgewandelt wurde.

Diese Funken der Neugierde veranlassten ihn, Klängen und Musikern nachzujagen – Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page –, deren Einfluss seitdem in Castiglias Spiel nachhallt. Der britische Blues war für ihn immer ein wesentlicher Bestandteil seiner DNA ... aber unerreichbar. Bis jetzt. Mit seinem Team stand die Vision fest. Als das Label grünes Licht gab, gab es nur einen möglichen Ort für die Sessions: Abbey Road. Vor den Aufnahmen tauchte Albert in die britische Kultur ein und machte Halt in Birmingham, um durch die Straßen zu spazieren, die Black Sabbath und Tony Iommi geprägt haben Helden, die seine musikalische Seele nachhaltig geprägt haben.

Mit dem Tod von Ozzy Osbourne gewann der Besuch an Bedeutung und Nachdenklichkeit. Dann ging es weiter nach London, wo die Ampel auf Grün sprang und »Grits & Glory« Gestalt annahm – 100 % ungefilterter Albert Castiglia, durchtränkt von Blues mit britischem Flair. Das Ergebnis ist ein wildes, gefühlvolles und lebendiges Album, das vor Geschichte, Herz und der Art von Entschlossenheit nur so sprüht, die laut gehört und gelebt werden will.

"Albert Castiglia steht weiterhin für Qualität, Wertigkeit und Herzblut. Die beschissene Gegenwart ging auch am Blues-Veteranen nicht spurlos vorbei und so spart er keineswegs mit Kritik, sucht aber dennoch den wichtigen Konsens. Derlei modernere Auswüchse, begleitet von feinsinnigen Blues-Standards, instrumentalen Exkursen und den obligatorischen Blues- und Southern-Exkursen, machen abermals Laune. „Grits & Glory“ bündelt einmal mehr sämtliche Stärken des mehrfachen Blues-Music-Award-Gewinners auf eine ausführliche Platte ohne Längen. Dieses gewohnt meisterliche Showcase macht Laune." (Walter Kraus, beatblogger.de)

Albert Castiglia, Gitarre, Leadgesang
Cliff Moore, Bass
Ray Hangen, Schlagzeug
David Gross, Gitarre, Hammond-Orgel, Perkussion, Challen-Klavier, Wurlitzer, Begleitgesang
Lewis Stephens, Hammond-Orgel, Klavier
Bruce Bears, Wurlitzer
Deborah Michels, Begleitgesang

Albert Castiglia
(pronounced “ka-STEEL-ya”) is Keepin On – and much more. With the release of Castiglia’s 5th CD Keepin On, August 2010 on Blues Leaf Records (his third CD on this label), Albert is doing exactly what the title of the CD suggests. Having opened for ZZ Top, Elvin Bishop, and The Radiators, he’s quickly becoming a favorite high energy performer at festivals across the country.

Castiglia’s history is as colorful as his home town of Miami, Florida, going back to 1990 when he played in a local Miami Band, The Miami Blues Authority, and won awards locally for “Best Blues Guitarist.” He got a big break after meeting the legendary Junior Wells in 1996, and soon became Junior’s lead guitar player before Wells died in 1998. Albert toured the U.S. and Europe with Junior and then found himself in Chicago when Junior passed. Soon though, he was touring again with Sandra Hall.

He returned to South Florida after deciding to launch his solo career and went to work on his first CD, Burn (2002), a self-release, collaborating with his long time friend, Graham Wood Drout of Iko-Iko. Drout’s visceral, yet literary 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 Records, which included two of Drout’s insightful songs, “Big Toe” and “Ghosts of Mississippi.” Castiglia and Drout also released a live CD together, titled The Bittersweet Sessions, in 2005.

His 2008 CD, These are the Days (Blues Leaf Records), contained five original Albert 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 from Bob Dylan, Nappy Brown and Fenton Robinson. 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 this time 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.”

Most of his new CD release, Keepin On, was recorded live with very few overdubs. He enlisted five session musicians to help on the project, including harmonica master Sandy Mack, who played on “I Could Not Ask for More,” a Peter Green song. Mack had played on “Ghosts of Mississippi,” a track from Albert’s A Stones Throw album in 2006. According to Castiglia, “He kicked butt then and he picked up where left off on this session. ”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 is world renowned and has even taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in Pomeroy, Ohio, a number of times. 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.’ He did a great job and I hope we get to work together again.”

The result is a fascinating journey into what Albert feels is his best work to date. Listen for yourself.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet