SEAN COSTELLO Source: Baltimore Blues Society Date: 06/2008 Writer: Thomas J. Cullen III

(Ed note: This review was submitted before Costelloís passing last month.)

This Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/guitarist has come a long way since he burst onto the scene in the mid-ë90s as Susan Tedeschiís guitarist, and his Delta Groove debut provides ample proof of his creative prowess as a genuine triple threat artist. Although the blues influence is always in the mix, this album is more swamp blues and Southern soul than traditional Chicago blues and reflects his ongoing maturation with soulful self-assurance, especially his raspy, no nonsense vocals, punctuated with aching falsetto, which belie his age (29). Heís obviously soaked up a profusion of roots influences in the last decade and they are on display throughout the 11 song set (nine originals and two covers). But Costello has never been a one trick pony as far as the music is concerned. He most reminds me of a latter day Eddie Hinton, which is a huge compliment. The blues were always present to one degree or another in the late Hintonís oeuvre but soul, swamp, and country were paramount, and as such, Costelloís affinity for swamp and

soul is pervasive on We Can Get Together. He does toss in a major curve ball with the dirge like ballad "Told Me a Lie," an uncanny hybrid of Dixieland, Tin Pan Alley, and swamp-pop with guest Adam Meriwhetherís languid sousaphone underscoring the tuneís lugubrious tone. The two covers are also among the mellower tunes. They are attributed to "traditional" sources; actually the source of the gospel deliverance "Going Home" is O.V. Wrightís "Iím Going Home (to Live with God)" while the source for the folk ballad "Little Birds," a showcase for his subdued, yet dexterous slide playing, is Levon Helm (who learned it from his parents as a child). Among the originals I and "Hard Luck Woman" with their infectious grooves and slashing guitar. On the soul side, the lilting "Canít Let Go" evokes early Al Green. Costelloís fans will want this impressive album; for those fans unfamiliar with Costello, this is the best place to start.