Neal Casal – No Wish To Reminisce
Singer and songwriter Neal Casal was keen to step away from the sounds of Americana and alt-country on his latest album, and boy did he: No Wish To Reminisce is loaded with strong pop hooks and lush orchestral flourishes.
A sought-after session musician for his elegant guitar playing and sweet singing, Casal is equally skilled as a songwriter. The thirteen tunes here fairly overflow with melody as Casal tours through some time-tested pop themes: love, lost love, distant love and yearning for love. This isn’t Tiger Beat material, though; his lyrics are sophisticated, and he has a keen sense of imagery that lends a vivid edge to his songs.
Casal has a versatile voice that takes on a Glenn Tilbrook-like quality on the growly rocker “Sleeping Pills In Stereo”, evokes Rufus Wainwright a bit on “Freeway To The Canyon”, and sounds all his own on the soulful, jangly ballad “Traveling After Dark”. Producer Michael Deming (Pernice Brothers, Beachwood Sparks) augments Casal’s guitar with whirring organ on “You Don’t See Me Crying” and adds color to “Grand Island” with a gorgeous string section, which contrasts with the stinging slide guitar that opens and closes the tune.