Over the course of 17 previous albums, Tommy Castro has gone in a lot of different directions. With Closer To The Bone (Alligator), Castro claims he's returning to his roots and delivering what he calls a real blues record. His regular Painkillers lineup (of Randy McDonals (bass), Mike Emerson (keyboards), and Bowen Brown (drums) are all here, aided by an all-star cast of guests popping in at various times.

Add the fact that it's produced by Kid Andersen at his now iconic Greaeland Studio, and we have what quite possibly will be the blues album of the year.

Closer To The Bone opens with a Castro / Andersen composition, "Can't Catch A Break," a mid-tempo funky blues that allows the horn section of Scott Jensen (trumpet), Mike Rinta (trombone), and Jack Sanford (baritone sax) to provide a big wall of sound. Even better is the Jimmy Nolen mid-tempo, snaky blues, "The Way You Do," with Rick Estrin joining in on harmonica. A Johnny Nitro original, the slower blues shuffle, "One More Night," gives Castro a chance to pour out his pleading vocals, wanting just one more chance with that woman who's been hurting him.

Castro again gets to show off his mournful side, both with his voice and his guitar, on another original, the very slow blues, "Crazy Woman Blues," with Emerson's piano work giving just the right 'late night' vibe. Upping the tempo is a cover of Chris Cain's "Woke Up And Smelled The Coffee," with piano from Endre Terczy and organ from Emerson. This number was one of the highlights of Cain's 1980s-era album, Late Night City Blues, one that has always occupied a spot on my desert island list, After a couple of sorrowful blues tunes, this one makes us happy that he got out of bad situation.

"Keep Your Dog Inside," co-written by Gary Michael Duke and Joe New, gets a completely different sound through Castro's use of a resonator guitar and the background vocals of Sons Of Soul Revivers. An added treat is served when Deanna Bogart jumps in for a few vocal lines. I'm wondering if this song is referring to an actual canine or something else, especially when they sing, "...Keep your dog inside, you can't have him out running wild ..."? Hmmm?

I never tire of hearing covers of Johnny "Guitar" Watson songs, with Castro's rendition of "She Moves Me" now ranking as one of my faves. He really nails it on guitar, and then Bogart returns for an absolutely killer sax solo. This one's so good I think I'll listen to it again ... and again ...and .....

Alright, I'm back from that induced JGW fix with a really nice funky blues original, "Ain't Worth The Heartache." June Core sits in with wonderful polyrhythmic drumming, while  Billy Branch shows up on harmonica and Emerson shines on piano. Man, this one's a killer!

The pace slows again with a very bluesy version of the Ray Charles classic, "A Foot For You," with Chris Cain(!) providing the appropriate Brother Ray piano parts, and both the Sons of Soul Revivers' backing vocals and Andersen's organ take it right to church. Let's not overlook Castro's impassioned vocals and inspirational guitar work. To repeat what I said about the preceding cut, man, this one's a killer! Two in row.

We get Elmore James-style guitar licks from Castro on Ron Thompson's "Freight Train (Let Me Ride)," with Greaseland regular Jim Pugh coming in on piano. Randy McDonald steps to mic to handle the vocals on his own composition, "Everywhere I Got," a John Lee Hooker-style up-tempo boogie blues. Being able to step away from the singing thing, Castro just plain tears it up on slide guitar.

Another tune I love to hear covered is the Hank Penny & Ruth Hall jump blues classic, "Bloodshot Eyes." Core is back on drums, Andersen excels on rhythm guitar, Tarczy handles the piano parts, and Bogart gets to blow her tenor sax again. Oh my, this one really does it for me! Eddie Taylor's "Stroll Out West" does just what it claims. We get more of an old-school countrified blues here, with Estrin back on harp and Brown putting down a steady 2-/4 beat on drums.

Closing the album is a version of Brownie McGhee's up-tempo blues, "Hole In The Wall," with the lesser instrumentation allowing Pugh's organ work to stand out, while the background vocals of Sons Of Soul Revivers give it a backwoods gospel feel. A nice ending to a very diverse and extremely solid album by Castro.

Check back with me in December to see if I still think Closer To The Bone still ranks as the best of the year. Don't be surprised if my answer is a resounding "Yes!"

--- Bill Mitchell