Emanuel Casablanca
Strung Out On Thrills
Vinyl Recording Group
Exploring and Pushing the Boundaries of Contemporary Blues
First of all, the name ‘Emanuel Casablanca’ simply oozes the exotic, don’t ya think? Well, it certainly did to me and that’s what drew me to this, his third release; and second we’ve reviewed at RMHQ, a couple of weeks ago.
I was right, as his take on Contemporary Blues is nothing other than ‘exotic.’
The album starts with a dog barking on Dogshit; a break up song using that term instead of Bullshit, on a searing and swooping tale of a man being cheated on by his lover.
The arrangement and musicianship is mind bending at times and really bodes well for what is to follow.
Over the last week I’ve gone from thinking “this is good” to “this is amazing” … as Casablanca oozes class in not just his guitar playing, singing style but his songwriting too.
In recent years songwriting in The Blues or especially Blues Rock has regularly been left on the back burner, with acts getting carried away with their guitar playing – Emanuel Casablanca rights that wrong many times here; not least on the sexy and shuffling Conniver …
“If you don’t love me.
Then why you say it?
I…think it was lust all along.
Girl you’re a liar.
A cruel conniver.
I can’t deny her.
I, I, I, I, I was your fool.
You say one thing.
You do another.
Baby… is this come kind of test.
The pain you bring.
It makes me suffer.
I… ain’t no one’s second best.”
It’s a similar take on Pearl, King Mix and My Life’s Fire too, with Casablanca taking ordinary themes and twisting them into something extraordinary with his lyrics and especially the instrumentation and melodies/riffs behind his vocals.
This is most definitely Contemporary Blues in every which way, but with one foot in Classic but edgy Urban Soul field too the way Casablanca creates his imagery to go with the exemplary music he creates.
Just over half way through our man drops in a musical timebomb with Pistolero which starts with a stunning Classical Spanish guitar intro followed by an intense groove and a sizzling metaphor laden song that will take your breath away time and again.
I have no problem whatsoever with anyone re-treading musical tracks from decades gone by, often wearing their influences like a badge of honour; but here I’m damned if I can single out anyone in particular that Casablanca has used as a mentor.
The Farm is a harrowing story and probably the nearest you’re going to find to ‘Traditional Blues’ but the way Casablanca handles the arrangement, it fits in perfectly well with everything else here.
The exciting thing here is Casablanca’s ‘take’ is undoubtedly new and fresh, while continuously using the Blues as a golden thread throughout; which brings me to my choice of Favourite Song, the slow, moody and sexy Morning Wood caught my attention right from Day #1 and still makes me smile like a hormonal teenager now a week later.
Then we have the polar opposite with Lass a real funky ass tale of unrequited love that simmers and simmers, always threatening to boil over but Casablanca pulls it and himself back from the brink several times on a total belter of a song.
But the winner takes us back to the beginning and track #2, the title track Strung Out on Thrills has a killer riff aligned to a groove and swagger that feels like it should be coming out of the cassette player on a 70’s Coup De Ville rolling down Main Street on a Saturday night with the driver dressed to thrill and his gal, dressed to kill.
“I gotta get high on something.
What’ll it be.
It could be the drugs.
It could be the checks.
I’m staying high on something.
Hope I don’t O.D.
It could be the love.
It could be the sex.”
It appears that Emanuel Casablanca is something of a modern Renaissance Man; a renowned artist, an actor and Blues Star Deluxe.
Released February 2nd 2024
https://www.emanuelcasablanca.com/
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https://www.emanuelcasablanca.com/music
The Rocking Magpie 