| |
 "I'm
a guitar player, man," Sean Costello is prone to say. "But this
record isn't really an overtly guitar-driven record," he adds
candidly. "I played a lot of guitar when I was a kid. I mean
obsessively," the twenty-five year-old explains with a laugh.
"I can express myself so comfortably through that guitar, better
than with my own voice. But right now I'm more interested in
writing songs and singing them," he adds, "and playing with
a really cool band."
Well, that pretty much sums up the new self-titled album, Sean
Costello, produced by Steve Rosenthal (The Rolling Stones,
Suzanne Vega, Freedy Johnston). It is the guitarist's fourth
release and by far his most diverse and spectacular. The album
finds Costello shifting gears from Chicago blues to a crafty
mixture of soul, funk, upbeat rock and his native blues. Costello
is joined by his touring band as well as a few special guests.
Levon Helm of The Band sits in on two tracks, as does his daughter,
Amy Helm, of Ollabelle. Steve Jordan, Willie Weeks and the Conan
O'Brien horn section contribute also.
The album finds the guitarist tackling songs by Johnny Taylor,
Al Green, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and a soulful and quite original
take on Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate." Like his music,
Costello's record collection has taken on new dimensions. He
has garnered many soul albums as of late and it comes off in
his music.
"So much great music has been made over the past 100 years,"
Costello says matter-of-factly. "So much ground has been broken
and part of my job as a musician is to combine some of these
styles. Mix them up and push the envelope a bit." He goes on
to say, "The Dylan cover may throw some people off. There's
also a jazzy ballad mixed in that may cause some blues people
to say 'what the hell is this?' Overall though, this album
really has a great vibe to it. I feel good whenever I listen
to it."
Besides performing the works of others, Costello offers up
seven of his own remarkable compositions including the album's
first single, "No Half Steppin." The song
takes the feel of a blues shuffle and a traditional blues
guitar rhythm and mixes it up with pop influences and a gritty
soul-stirring vocal, proving Costello is too seasoned to be
written off as just another blues guitar prodigy. The result
is simply joyous to listen to and one of the most soulful
songs to come along in some time.
As a whole Sean Costello gives off a fresh and positive
energy. It finds the guitarist honing in on his song-writing
skills, closing in on his own original sound and greatly improving
his remarkably unique voice. Costello also does something most
gifted guitarists his age would refrain from: playing fewer
notes and not showing off. Costello would rather let the band
and his songs do the talking than throw in a bunch of unnecessary
licks and notes.
Costello was born in Philadelphia in 1979 and moved with
his family to Atlanta at the age of 9. Soon after he picked
up the guitar and by 14 he had won the Memphis Blues Society's
talent award, and was already on the road with his own band.
In 1996, the 17 year-old Costello released his first album,
Call The Cops. Real Blues Magazine called the release "an
explosive debut." Around this time Costello joined up
with fellow blues guitarist Susan Tedeschi, touring with her
and laying down some exuberant guitar work on her Gold-certified
Tone-Cool debut Just Won't Burn.
In 2000, when he released Cuttin' In, Costello wasn't
even 20 years old and he already had a gold record on his
wall. Cuttin' In earned him a slew of critical acclaim
as well as a prestigious W. C. Handy Award nomination for
"Best New Artist Debut." The album received a
four and a half star review from the AllMusicGuide and Blues
Revue Magazine exclaimed, "Sean Costello blows in like
a gust of fresh spring air!" LA Weekly praised the
guitar player by printing, "Costello is the real deal!"
With 2002's Moanin'For Molasses came a Blues Revue
cover story touting Costello as "the top contender to be the
next blues star... and soon." Costello's hometown paper The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution called his guitar playing
"masterful" and of "remarkable maturity." The paper also compared
him to such legends as B. B. King, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray
Vaughan. Costello, who has been fortunate enough to earn the
respect and admiration of many of his own idols, has had the
opportunity to sit in with these mentors. He has already shared
stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins,
and Bo Diddley to name a few.
These performers are Sean Costello's heroes because
they are extremely talented and well-respected musicians.
It is quite likely the young guitarist will fall in with their
ranks one day soon. "All I've ever wanted to do
was play the guitar. Even before I played the guitar all I
wanted to do was play it," Costello says with a smile
on his face. "All I've ever wanted to do is make
music with this instrument, and I've been lucky enough
to do it. It's all I have ever done," he goes
on. "And I hope I can continue doing this the rest of
my life because I really am doing all I've ever wanted
to do and having so much fun along the way."
|
Purchase Sean Costello's Music
Online:
|
| Amazon.com |
|
