Review: Blood Brothers – Help Yourself
Blood Brothers – Help Yourself
Format: CD – Vinyl Lp – Digital / Label: Gulf Coast Records
Release: 2025
Text: Martien Koolen
‘Help Yourself ‘is the highly anticipated sophomore studio album of the acclaimed guitarists Albert Castiglia and Mike Zito, aka as the Blood Brothers. These two guitar pickers are probably one of the strongest blues rock bands of these days and this new album brings the band’s signature blues rock power to new musical heights indeed.
‘Help Yourself’ kicks off with the title track, written by Zito, and the two guitarists kick you in the teeth right from the start with this swaggering, “heavy” blues rock song. Follow up Can’t Be A Prophet, written by Castiglia is rockier, while Alive is a mid-tempo bluesy track with heartfelt lyrics about Zito’s daughter called Jackie.
The instrumental Soulard Serenade is my personal favourite one of this album, as it is packed with wonderful, raw guitar solos, reminding me of great old jazz and blues bands of the sixties. For fans of good old-fashioned rock and roll in the veins of Chuck Berry, there is the vintage track Ol’ Victrola, while Running Out Of Time and Do What You Gotta are again typical blues rockers with impressive guitar riffs, hooks, solos, and melodies galore.
The Blood Brothers and their band, featuring Scot Sutherland (bass guitar), Lewis Stephens (keyboards) and drummers Matt Johnson and Ray Hangen deliver the blues rock with full force and an undeniable groove indeed. Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia have set an exceedingly high bar for modern blues rock for sure; play it LOUD and enjoy all those mean and lean guitar solos!
Tracks:
01. Help Yourself (Zito)
02. Can’t Be A Prophet (Castiglia)
03. Alive (Zito)
04 . Soulard Serenade (Zito, Castiglia, Sutherland, Stephens, Hangen, Johnson)
05. Low Down (J.J. Cale)
06. The Best I Can (Zito, Castiglia)
07. Prove My Love (Zito)
08 . Ol’ Victrola (Castiglia)
09 . Running Out Of Time (Zito)
10. Do What You Gotta (Castiglia)
Website:
https://www.mikezito.com/
https://www.albertcastiglia.net/