Music Review: Jason Castro
Onetime ‘Idol’ Prospect Finds His Inner Rebel
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: January 28, 2010
Sometime in 2007 Jason Castro accidentally stumbled through a door that led to the auditions for “American Idol” and decided to just stick around. At least that’s how it seemed throughout that show’s seventh season, from his first appearance right up until he placed fourth. He had about one-tenth the intensity of the next-most-lethargic contestant, appeared anxious when it came to speaking and was only beginning to test the boundaries of his voice.
But Mr. Castro was likeably daffy and a stealth adept. Those qualities carried him far enough in the competition to where, a couple of years later, on a Wednesday evening, several dozen loyalists would buy themselves tickets for the dinner shift at Joe’s Pub in order to shout “Idol” requests at Mr. Castro as he worked through a magnetic set that largely avoided them.
Earlier this month he released “The Love Uncompromised EP” (Atlantic), a prelude to a full album this spring, and it’s among the most sure-footed records, debut or otherwise, by an “Idol” contestant from any season. Partly that’s because Mr. Castro has had time to marinate, and to woodshed. His season’s winner, David Cook, and runner-up, David Archuleta, both released debut albums about six months after the season finale. But no one rushed Mr. Castro to pin down his style, and he certainly didn’t rush himself.
He’s got it down cold now, though: 1960s pop with bright guitars, slashed through with a contrarian streak. It’s as if he were still stuck in one of the genre-themed weeks on “Idol,” but the most apt one. Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz should be nervous (to say nothing of Wednesday night’s actual headliner, Matt Hires, who received a fraction of the adulation bestowed on Mr. Castro).
Mr. Castro’s voice has a slight buzz, and in the past two years it’s gotten deeper and tougher. Once he telegraphed indifference; now he’s all intent. It shows especially when his songs bend in odd ways. On the chipper, elegantly constructed “If I Were You,” which Mr. Castro performed here on ukulele (accompanied by a dexterous Stephen Kanicka on guitar), he was a bad influence: “If I were you, I would drop out of school/ Forget the grades, you’d have it made, you’ll see/ You belong to me.” At the bridge of “Let’s Just Fall in Love Again,” he positively giggled, “We’ll fall disgustingly fast/ And we’ll stop hanging out with friends/ And they’ll be so offended.” (Only a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” fell flat; Mr. Castro’s voice wasn’t wide enough to pull it off.)
Most remarkable was “You Can Always Come Home,” sung with the night’s first performer, Caitlin Crosby. (On record, it’s with the Canadian folkie Serena Ryder.) If Mr. Castro ever decides to play up his Texan accent, it could be a country hit. “I still miss what we could have done,” he sang, seething as much as his affable demeanor would allow. “I wrote a sad song about it/ And I’m still pretty bitter.”
When Mr. Castro sang “Hallelujah” on “Idol,” channeling neither Leonard Cohen nor Jeff Buckley, it was as if he’d been put up to it - the lyric was out of his depth, he didn’t quite hit all the notes. Simon Cowell loved it, but in the postperformance interview, Mr. Castro looked like someone who had just said a few sentences in a foreign language, and wanted reassurance he hadn’t inadvertently insulted anyone’s mother.
No more. “Hallelujah” has become a staple of his live shows, his steady and gentle take now in the pantheon of approved readings. It closed the show here, Mr. Castro singing it with flexibility and brio. He planted a flag - each note was his own.
Rewiew Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/arts/music/29castro.html
Picture Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/photos/mtvcom-exclusive-jason-castro/1629265/4501416/photo.jhtml
http://chancejamesblog.com/?p=1706
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: January 28, 2010
Sometime in 2007 Jason Castro accidentally stumbled through a door that led to the auditions for “American Idol” and decided to just stick around. At least that’s how it seemed throughout that show’s seventh season, from his first appearance right up until he placed fourth. He had about one-tenth the intensity of the next-most-lethargic contestant, appeared anxious when it came to speaking and was only beginning to test the boundaries of his voice.
But Mr. Castro was likeably daffy and a stealth adept. Those qualities carried him far enough in the competition to where, a couple of years later, on a Wednesday evening, several dozen loyalists would buy themselves tickets for the dinner shift at Joe’s Pub in order to shout “Idol” requests at Mr. Castro as he worked through a magnetic set that largely avoided them.
Earlier this month he released “The Love Uncompromised EP” (Atlantic), a prelude to a full album this spring, and it’s among the most sure-footed records, debut or otherwise, by an “Idol” contestant from any season. Partly that’s because Mr. Castro has had time to marinate, and to woodshed. His season’s winner, David Cook, and runner-up, David Archuleta, both released debut albums about six months after the season finale. But no one rushed Mr. Castro to pin down his style, and he certainly didn’t rush himself.
He’s got it down cold now, though: 1960s pop with bright guitars, slashed through with a contrarian streak. It’s as if he were still stuck in one of the genre-themed weeks on “Idol,” but the most apt one. Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz should be nervous (to say nothing of Wednesday night’s actual headliner, Matt Hires, who received a fraction of the adulation bestowed on Mr. Castro).
Mr. Castro’s voice has a slight buzz, and in the past two years it’s gotten deeper and tougher. Once he telegraphed indifference; now he’s all intent. It shows especially when his songs bend in odd ways. On the chipper, elegantly constructed “If I Were You,” which Mr. Castro performed here on ukulele (accompanied by a dexterous Stephen Kanicka on guitar), he was a bad influence: “If I were you, I would drop out of school/ Forget the grades, you’d have it made, you’ll see/ You belong to me.” At the bridge of “Let’s Just Fall in Love Again,” he positively giggled, “We’ll fall disgustingly fast/ And we’ll stop hanging out with friends/ And they’ll be so offended.” (Only a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” fell flat; Mr. Castro’s voice wasn’t wide enough to pull it off.)
Most remarkable was “You Can Always Come Home,” sung with the night’s first performer, Caitlin Crosby. (On record, it’s with the Canadian folkie Serena Ryder.) If Mr. Castro ever decides to play up his Texan accent, it could be a country hit. “I still miss what we could have done,” he sang, seething as much as his affable demeanor would allow. “I wrote a sad song about it/ And I’m still pretty bitter.”
When Mr. Castro sang “Hallelujah” on “Idol,” channeling neither Leonard Cohen nor Jeff Buckley, it was as if he’d been put up to it - the lyric was out of his depth, he didn’t quite hit all the notes. Simon Cowell loved it, but in the postperformance interview, Mr. Castro looked like someone who had just said a few sentences in a foreign language, and wanted reassurance he hadn’t inadvertently insulted anyone’s mother.
No more. “Hallelujah” has become a staple of his live shows, his steady and gentle take now in the pantheon of approved readings. It closed the show here, Mr. Castro singing it with flexibility and brio. He planted a flag - each note was his own.
Rewiew Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/arts/music/29castro.html
Picture Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/photos/mtvcom-exclusive-jason-castro/1629265/4501416/photo.jhtml
http://chancejamesblog.com/?p=1706