Search - Sean Costello :: Cuttin' In

Simply Terrific

Patrick Earley | 02/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This could be the blues album of the year. Sean Costello is not only a world class interpreter of historic American music, he is a first rate singer/songwriter and a mind blowing guitar player. The album features wonderful new versions of chestnuts like "Mama Talk To Your Daughter" and "Double Trouble" and digs deep into obscure gems such as John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Mellow Chick Swing." This guy is no Jonny Lang or Kenny Wayne Sheppard soundalike though. He digs a lot deeper and has unbelievable chops to go with the tasty material. Incredible that he is only 20 years old and sounds like a masterful veteran."

THE KID'S GROWN UP

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 01/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's been 4 years since Costello put out that great first album "Call The Cops" at the age of 16. He's grown up some since then. He sings with a little deeper voice now, and the production has gotten better. The songs on here are divided between the west coast blues sound, such as the title song "Cuttin in", written by west coast bluesman extraordinaire Junior Watson. And "Jumpin Salty", an instrumental track with a big bass drum sound throughout. Pure west coast. But he also gets into the Chicago blues with Willie Dixon's "I Want To Be Loved", and the slow 7 minute burner "Double Trouble", in which Costello displays some great chops that can rival any of those young bluze-rockers out there. But that's not really his style. He plays a restrained, yet swinging style, somewhat in the vane of Rick Holmstrom or the late great Hollywood Fats. But he's still got a sound of his own. I also like his song selection on here. Even though he only wrote 3 of the songs on here, he makes up for it by bringing back little obscurities such as the odd but infectious "Goombay Rock" and "I Got Loaded", which Los Lobos made famous a few years ago. All in all, this is a nice album that I really enjoyed. I would also highly recommend Costello's first album "Call the Cops", which really swings hard with an energetic rock and roll feel to it. Whether you want Sean Costello the teenager or the grownup, you can't go wrong with either."

Not a Bad Second Effort!

deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 06/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With so many young blues players on the scene, I received this CD with some skepticism. I had recently listened to "Call the Cops" which showed a lot of potential but other than that, have heard very little about this 20 year old guitarist. To my surprise, Costello's second CD demonstrates both his creative abilities as well as his appreciation for the heritage of the blues. Costello's 3 originals continue the raw and energetic Chicago style blues demonstarted on his earlier CD. "Cold, Cold, Ground" features an uptempo piano based shuffle while "Who's been Cheatin' Who" is a hard driving number leaning more towards rock than blues. The covers on this CD are done well and are very close copies of the originals. Most notably, "I want to be loved by you" and "Close to you" by Muddy Waters. Some blues fans may yawn at the cover selections and the lack of original interpretation. Given the potential demonstrated on the 3 originals as well as the earlier CD, I would have like to see a little more creativity. For that reason, I deducted one star. Nevertheless, this is a good second effort and shows a promise for future releases."