Sean Costello: Sean’s Blues – A Memorial Retrospective

Few promising young musicians actually go on to develop into being class acts. The versatile Atlanta bluesman Sean Costello, who died in 2008 on the eve of his 29th birthday, did. This mostly chronological 20-song collection is not a career overview but rather focuses on recordings cut between 1996-2001: Costello’s debut, Call the Cops; the W.C. Handy-nominated Cuttin’ In; and his last album for Landslide, 2001’s Moanin’ for Molasses, plus four unreleased alternate takes of songs recorded the following year. Not surprisingly, it’s the unreleased numbers, 12 altogether, that make Sean’s Blues worth seeking out for blues collectors and novices alike. Highlights include the salacious R&B-driven “Lovin’ Machine”; a barnstorming interpretation of Robert Johnson’s “Walking Blues” with Susan Tedeschi guesting on lead vocals; and two electrifying live performances, a tight ‘n’ loose soulful jam of Otis Rush’s “All Your Love (I Miss Your Loving)” and a smokin’ cover of Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “Motor Head Baby”. Whether electric, soul, or jump blues is your bag, Sean Costello was — and still is — your man.