Was Neal Casal born in the wrong era? Though a prolific session musician and bandmember, wracking up credits with Beachwood Sparks, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, his own music sounds like the best of the seventies singer/songwriter scene – warm, melodic, wistful, with sparkling production even when he’s recording himself at home. Indeed, Book of Stories is exactly that – recorded by himself at home on a machine given to him by his frequent producer Jim Scott.
None of these songs were ever remade for any of his solo albums, and going through them, it’s difficult to understand why. The album launches with a one-two punch: the full-band (so to speak – Casal plays everything) “Muscatine” and the solo “Down With a Friend,” both of which balance melancholy sentiments with strong melodies in the classic manner. They’re not only as strong as anything he released elsewhere, they’re as good as anything out of the singer/songwriter trade in the last thirty years. They’re not the only gems, either. On the acoustic side, there’s “Something You Should Know” and “Leave My Loving Cup Behind;” on the semi-electric side, there’s “How Many Times” and “It’s Got Me Down;” for the more filled-out arrangements, there’s “In My Mind.”
The record ends with his take on the traditional “Good News,” a tune recorded quick and dirty, where he’s both fighting a cough and working it out in real time, and it’s as charming as the rest of the songs are well-crafted. If Casal had this many good songs in his pockets, it just compounds the tragedy of his early death. Book of Stories is essential Casal.
