Neal Casal: Book Of Stories (Home Recordings 1998-2003)(Neal Casal Music Foundation / Blackwing Music / Royal Potato Family) – Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Damn! I was not prepared for how gorgeous this is. Neal had a 100-year voice. It is a tragedy that we only got about thirty years of material and not the full cycle. The tone is in a very pleasing part of the sonic spectrum. But there is more than a little bit of melancholy in that voice. Half of me wants to jump for joy while the other half wants to curl up in a ball and cry. That is the push and pull of music that is both beautiful and incredibly moving.
From the opening bars of Muscatine, the sounds completely whisk me away to another place. A magical place that is exquisite. The ideal sound and a 75-degree sunny day with blue skies and a slight breeze. There are a few rainclouds hovering around and those represent the sadness that is resident in Neal’s voice. Muscatine opens with a brilliant harmonica part that reminds me of another famous Neil, but that Neil spells his name a little differently.
“What do you do with your time now that – you’ve left so much behind – way back in Muscatine.” It’s about leaving home and dealing with the regret of moving on. What if I would have stayed? Would things have been better? Did I make the right decision? Ultimately, the song arrives at the understanding that what’s done is done, and lamenting the past will not change the outcome.
The album is predominantly acoustic, save for one track that explores slow grunge, In My Mind. It’s another song about what could have been and escaping to a place where everything is perfect. In My Mind is that place. The mind can change bad to good, sad to happy, and scary to calm. There is one poignant line in this song that is unforgettably profound and more than a little sad. “In my mind, everything is easy, in my mind, I leave this life behind.” In light of the circumstances that would follow, that line will be forever etched “in my mind” and will always evoke a few tears.
The semi-distorted guitar, coupled with the pacing, adds to the overall sad feeling of this track. Again, Neal’s voice is so comforting that there are no words that adequately describe the feeling. The guitar work is masterful. There are, of course, the fuzzy, distorted guitar fills, but around the two-minute mark, these absolutely soulful blues fills appear and complement the song like two pieces of a jigsaw coming together.
I keep talking about Neal’s voice and with good reason. At the risk of repeating myself far too much, I want to do it again, specifically on Something You Should Know. This track is on par with something out of the Big Star catalogue. Neal shows off his vocal range beautifully in this song. All of the vocals are incredible, but when he sings in the high register, as he does on the chorus, those parts are something heavenly. How can voice and guitar and a few guitar slaps as percussion make such a big sound?
Neal could do pop, but he also demonstrated that he could do blues. Good News proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. This Beatles-esque track is pure blues à la John, Paul, et al. The only difference is that this track is much rawer. At one point, you can hear Neal clearing his throat. And that is the point: these are home recordings. All the imperfections have been left in. And that adds to the charm and mystique of the collection, especially since Neal is no longer with us. Keeping it real keeps a little bit of Neal Casal alive in our hearts.
Just when I think I have heard every combination and permutation of sounds that exist in the world, here comes Neal Casal’s Book of Stories (Home Recordings 1998–2003) and completely renews my faith in music. I know these recordings are over twenty years old, but I don’t care. They are fresh to me, and hearing them reminds me how much there is still to discover. Maybe the treasures are fewer and further between, but this album is proof that they are still out there. Keep the faith. I have mine back.
Listen and buy Book of Stories here
