Sean Costello - We Can Get Together
Delta Groove
Productions
http://www.myspace.com/seancostello
From the first lick of the guitar on the first
track of Sean Costello’s fifth album, We Can Get Together,
you know why this Philadelphia native is a past Memphis Blues
Society Winner. But with this new disk, Costello shows an
increasing maturity not only as a singer/guitarist, but also as a
song writer. Indeed, nine of the eleven cuts on We Can Get
Together are Costello originals, some with co-writer credits to
his band mates and others.
One might expect expert bluesmanship from a
performer from Philadelphia, except Costello is from Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, not Philadelphia, Mississippi. He immigrated south
to Atlanta at age nine and picked up his first guitar shortly
thereafter. While most of his high school classmates were trying to
get dates with members of the opposite sex, he had formed a band and
was trying to get dates in clubs around Hotlanta. Costello had cut
his first disk by age 17 and added three more in intervening years
before We Can get Together.
He cites B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Pinetop
Perkins as major musical influences, having jammed with them and
others, along with touring and recording with Susan Tedeschi before
going it alone. The disk shows strong influence from Kenny Wayne
Sheppard, Eric Clapton and even ZZ Top.
Here are some highlights:
“Anytime You Want” is a good guitar screamer
that is a groovin’ mixture of rock and roll and blues. Costello’s
guitar moves into tremolo mode for “Same Old Game,” which also
sports some catchy lyrics. “Can’t Let Go” features a breezy sound
that belies the hope that she will come back.
Costello’s “Told Me a Lie” has a Beatles
psychedelic era feel to it while a staccato style guitar riff is
featured throughout the otherwise darkly-flavored “Hard Luck
Woman.”
“How in the Devil” will delight ZZ Top fans
with it’s rocking blues riffs and Texas boogie lyrics. Some classy
organ work sets the pitiful mood for “Have You No Shame,” a song
about a guy who chances on his baby under the streetlight in the
arms of another.
The traditional “Going Home” is the bluest song
on the disk, which is seasoned further by a strong pinch of gospel.
Eric Clapton fans will feel right at home with “All This Time,” an
anthem to a guy trying to reel in the girl of his dreams.
The urgent sounding flavor of “Feel Like I
Ain’t Got a Home” sings of the desire to slow down--and settle
down--with somebody to love before it’s too late. Costello
concludes with another traditional blues number, “Little Birds.”
Why is Sean Costello so good? And why is We
Can Get Together so good? Two reasons: One, he recognizes and
salutes his influences and stays true to them. Two, while
recognizing these influences he also recognizes—as he puts it—“I’ll
never play the old blues better than the people who invented it…so I
need to make my own statement.”
Two beer bottles up for this one!
Reviewer Rob
Paullin realizes he cannot just steal the “Two Thumbs Up” line from
the movie review guys, so he’ll simply adapt it to his own world…!
|