All Directions

All Directions

You don’t have to be a Neal Casal disciple to dig this 19-song-deep collection of live recordings, B-sides, demos, and previously unreleased tracks. Those unfamiliar with the man’s work may even find All Directions a good starting point. “You Don’t See Me Crying (Live at the Paradiso) opens with Casal singing and playing a piano sounding like Emitt Rhodes’ take on Paul McCartney. “Freeway to the Canyon (With Ryan Adams & The Cardinals) (Live)” follows to reveal that Casal is much more than a Cardinal – Adams recognizes the man’s talent enough to let him play one of his slow burning ballads during a live show. The demo of “Grand Island” is of course more stripped down than the lushly produced studio version, but you get a glimpse of the song’s basic skeleton with flowing arrangements, easy-on-the-ears melodies and Casal’s self-harmonies putting the magnifying glass over his charismatic inflections. With an acoustic guitar and some reverb on his voice, Casal transforms Beachwood Sparks’ “The Reminder” into a beautiful desert dirge while turning Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Wishing Well” into a playful party romp.

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