Artist Roster:
Albert
Castiglia
ROOTS MUSIC REPORT (based on worldwide radio play) TOP
25
BLUES ALBUMS 2010 RANKS ALBERT CASTIGLIA #15 -
http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=news&id=259
ALBERT CASTIGLIA'S
ALBUM
KEEPIN ON
WAS RANKED #5 IN THE HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR'S TOP 10
BLUES ALBUM OF YEAR 2010 (based on public voting)
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.
Albert Castiglia –
Keepin On – Blues Leaf Records – Release Date:
August 10, 2010
Publicity Contact: Mark
Pucci Media (770) 804-9555 /
mpmedia@bellsouth.net
