Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

For the most part, the idea of freedom is a fantasy, an illusion to which we cling to in the hope that our faces don’t betray our souls, that we can be spirited, up to a point, but the powers that be will never let us truly off the leash, will never allow or permit the ordinary person to be wild, to see the world as a true home rather than what has been staged for us, a place where can be absolutely Wild And Free.

Being wild and free does not mean being reckless, instead it should inspire the notion of complexity, of vigilant, storming enthusiastic displays that overwhelms the body and the mind to the point where what you see on stage or hear as the recorded session allows you the benefit of comfort whilst you dream of tackling nature at its most enlightening, and perhaps its most unforgiving.

To navigate the storm, is to understand that the Wild And Free that an artist must possess across all forms of their craft without the whiff of taint, without suspicion of its motives and with every drop of blood coursing through their body as if it was on fire, the heart and the veins relishing the searing heat, the appreciation of uninhibited spirit. It is a storm that Albert Castiglia has not only weathered but tied himself to the mast as the artistic voyage sails past the rough voices of the sirens who urge the undiscerning to their doom, without falling into the tempest, he has steered this live rendition of his musical exploits to a height that surpasses any crested wave that could otherwise threaten to engulf the spirit and dampen the fire.

Working alongside the phenomenal Mike Zito, John Ginty and Lewis Stephens, the album is a true wonder of Blues, both reflective of the journey undertaken, but sizzling with expectancy as the next voyage is planned, and across tracks such as the opening salvo of Let The Big Dog Eat and Hoodoo On Me, Get Your Ass In The Van, Searching For The Desert For Blues, I Tried To Tell Ya and Keep On Swinging, Wild And Free is not so much an instruction, but a yearning made possible and for Albert Castiglia it is one where the tyranny of other’s expectation have been shaken off and the boundless, unregimented steel of passion is allowed to roam free.

An exceptional release, one of the great Blues albums of the last decade.

Albert Castiglia’s Wild And Free is out now and available from Gulf Coast Recored.

Ian D. Hall