Albert Castiglia’s 7th studio album Up All Night was released in October 2017 on Ruf Records
“Up All Night” It’s an apt title for Albert Castiglia’s album because nobody sleeps when this man is in town!
After 27 years of house-rocking studio albums and smack-in-the-mouth live shows, the Florida bandleader is the acknowledged master of red-raw, sweat-and-hair blues that gives it to you straight.
Now, the visceral riffs and bruised soul of Up All Night make everything else sound like a lullaby. “I’d describe the musical vibe of this new album,” says Castiglia simply, “as heavy.”
Recorded at Dockside Studios, Louisiana with producer Mike Zito, which might be home-turf, but any notion of a comfort zone was dispelled by an edgy new lineup who pushed their bandleader to the wire.
“Putting my new band together was a pivotal moment and this recent incarnation has really upped my game,” says Castiglia. “My drummer, Brian Menendez, is very dynamic and gives me that extra spark. He’s along the lines of a Ginger Baker or Mitch Mitchell.
Jimmy Pritchard is my bass player and he’s solid as a rock. His tone is fat and he’s right on time. When I hear him, I think of Bill Wyman or Calvin ‘Fuzz’ Jones.
It’s a power trio with no boundaries or restrictions. It’s a pretty amazing sound to me and it’s reflective in Up All Night.”
Other high-velocity cuts include “95 South”s travelogue, decorated by the inimitable slide-guitar fairy dust of Sonny Landreth (“That’s about having to drive from Washington D.C. to my home in South Florida in the middle of a tropical storm”), while “Chase Her Around The House” splices an early rock ‘n’ roll vibe with an age-old male need (“It’s about coming home and wanting to devour your significant other after being on the road for a long time”).
He’ll pummel you with the rough stuff, but Castiglia can also shift gears to more contemplative moments, whether that’s the rolling and contented acoustic blues of “You Got Me To That Place,” or its thematic opposite-man, “Unhappy House Of Blues.”
“That song was co-written with Cyril Neville,” he explains. “Cyril wrote the lyrics but I completely relate to them, because they bring me back to unhappier times when I was a struggling musician and I had no support from who I was with. I think anyone can relate to these tunes.”
Castiglia’s back catalogue is a high bar, but Up All Night raises it, defying you to sleep until you’ve worn out it’s 11 magnetic tracks. “You’ll rock out and dance like nobody’s watching,” concludes Albert.
“If you’re sad, this record will lift you up. If you’re already happy, this album will make you happier. You can listen to this album anywhere, anytime…”
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To listen or buy tracks from Up All Night see below
