Post Description

Blues, rock.

Help Yourself, out September 19, 2025, is the second studio album from Blood Brothers, the supergroup formed by blues rock heavyweights Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia. The album was recorded with the full band live in studio to capture the raw energy of a live show, with Scot Sutherland on bass, Lewis Stephens on keys, and double drumming from Matt Johnson and Ray Hangen. The album is pure traditional blues rock excellence infused with soul and gospel elements, and it all shines. This joint ain’t no sophomore slump, that’s for sure.

Soul and gospel influences are as heavy in the instrumentation and vocals as blues and rock, making this a wholly successful fusion album. For most of the tracks, Zito and Castiglia trade off vocals, each holding their own as they bring their signature guitar sounds to bear. 

The album comes in at a little under an hour, with most tracks hovering between three and five minutes. There are no skips on the record, and no real weak spots; the opening, middle, and closing sections of the album are all anchored by perfect tracks. Out of the 10 total songs on Help Yourself, I ranked four as perfect tens, with no tracks scoring below an eight. That’s a recipe for one banger of an album.

“Can’t Be a Prophet” is funky personal blues, all about the ego tricks and realities of being a rockstar, anchored with a stompy melody and great guitar work. “The Best I Can” is a slow and sultry “woman broke my heart” tune about the pains and joys of moving on from a love affair, and is the best showcase for the heavy soul-influences on the record. “Running Out of Time” feels appropriately urgent and fast paced, storytelling blues with a catchy drum part, rock n’ roll through and through. For my money, the best song on Help Yourself is “Ol’ Victrola,” a love letter to old-time rock and roll legends that name drops some of the greatest rockers in history to the backing tune of heavy honky tonk blues. 

The album is divided at the middle mark by a roughly six-minute instrumental jam, “Soulard Serenade.” Longer jam sessions on records come with inherent risks of boring some listeners who need lyrics to feel connected to the music, but  “Soulard Serenade” deftly sidesteps that risk by moving through a couple of distinctive style and tonal shifts as the players progress through the jam, driving a real emotional journey that gives the jam a tangible arc.

Throughout my first listen of Help Yourself, I found that I was making the same note again and again on each track: “simple, traditional, meat and potatoes.” This is not intended as derogatory, but the opposite: the best compliment I can pay to an album as a reviewer is that the artists are clear and direct about exactly what the piece intends to do, and they accomplish that with skill and enthusiasm. This record is fun, joyful, danceable, and fully shows why Zito and Castiglia are at the top of the blues rock genre.

Tracks:
01. Help Yourself
02. Can’t Be A Prophet
03. Alive
04. Soulard Serenade
05. Low Down
06. The Best I Can
07. Prove My Love
08. Ol’ Victrola
09. Running Out Of Time
10. Do What You Gotta

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftWJAkcGmis