Albert Storo and the Soul Hustlers
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Albert Storo and the Soul Hustlers

Houston, Texas, United States | SELF

Houston, Texas, United States | SELF
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"CD Review"

Albert Storo and the Soul Hustlers
Gettin’ Down & Nasty
(DR records 2007 DR #001)
Review Date: January 2009
by Pete Feenstra
Described as ‘Texas Fried, Chicago funked, Rollicking, Racket & Blues’, you might ask what’s in a title? Well in the case of Albert Storro, he certainly does what it says on the tin, ‘getting’ down & nasty’ on six covers and a self penned number that show him to be a bruising player and tough vocalist.
On balance Albert’s playing outweighs his singing - at times his phrasing lacks feel and variety - but in truth most people purchasing this CD will be more focused on the gut wrenching incendiary guitar solo’s, the kick ass rhythm section and the collective smoking band workouts than the singing. Quite an impressive combination when you consider Albert has spent much of his pro career as a drummer!

Storo delivers a stinging guitar attack on a well chosen cover of Carl Weathersby’s ‘Hipshaking Woman’, while his brusque vocals and steely tone is heavily reminiscent of Australian powerhouse Rob Tognoni. As it turns out this track is nicely juxtaposed with a cool soulful blues ‘All My Life’ that sharply brings into focus both the strengths and weaknesses of his style. Albert plays all the instruments except for keyboards and leans into the groove with a rough edged tone that relies more on intensity than tone colour. The undoubted edginess to his playing on this track is also reminiscent of Washington DC guitarist Bobby Radcliff who funnily enough also covers Bobby Rush's ‘Chicken Heads. In Albert’s case if he paid just as much attention to his vocals as to his multi instrumental prowess, he’d be seriously knocking on the doors of a wider rock blues community.

As it is he settles into a funky live cornerstone of the album, the tub thumping rendition of the afore mentioned ‘Chicken Heads’. Albert’s simmering tone picks out the theme over a crunching rhythm section. The guitar and organ interplay here is startlingly good, setting up a deep groove that is both rigorously underpinned and periodically punctuated by drummer Mark MsSwain. Hell, you want funky riff driven magic, look no further as the band play imperiously.

And make no mistake there’s more than enough room in the rock blues community for a fiery player and kicking band such as this. Perhaps only the over reliance on covers is likely to be the biggest stumbling block to breaking out of his native Texas.

And as if to prove that Albert is no one dimensional rock blues journeyman he turns his funky attention to an unlikely Coltrane style take of ‘My Favourite Things’ showing that he has the acute eye of an arranger to match his sterling chops.

File under rock funky rock blues with attitude. SRV fans step this way! - Blues Onstage


"Albert Storo and the Soul Hustlers"


ALBERT STORO & THE SOUL HUSTLERS
Appreciate the difference between rocking
up the blues and playing rock music.
On the self-released “Gettin’ Down & Nasty,”
Storo and his crew apply Houston mojo to electric blues
standards “That’s Alright” (taken as an uptempo Texas
shuffle) and “Sugar Sweet”. Storo handles bass and
drums in addition to his eloquent James Wheeler- and
Otis Rush-influenced guitar on Willie Kents
“All My Life,” and he revs up Rogers & Hammersteins
“My Favorite Things” Texas-style. But “Chicken
Heads,” spiced with organ and clavinet by Steve Cecil,
is an excuse for a “Voodoo Chile” jam that, at more
than 14 minutes, is too much.
-Tom Hyslop
BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE Apr/May 2008 - Blues Revue Magazine


"Albert Storo"

BOSTON BLUES SOCIETY By Karen Nugent - VICE PRESIDENT
May 2008
There’s a warning on this disc that says “For Fullest Pleasure, Play At A Slightly
Louder Volume Than Normal.”

How true it is.

Houston-based Albert Storo has put out seven solid tracks of outstanding
electric blues – well, make that six tracks. The last song, his rearrangement of
“My Favorite Things” (yes, from The Sound of Music) isn’t exactly blues, but it’s
not Rogers and Hammerstein, either.

The disc, his first, is phenomenal.

From the opening “That’s Alright,” a much faster version than the Jimmy Rogers
classic, to the 14-minute funky “Chicken Heads” by Bobby Rush, my favorite song
on the record, there really isn’t one song you might opt to skip over.

It rocks – nearly all the songs are danceable – but is not what you’d call “blues
rock.” The album is raw, fresh and interesting, and minus those tired special
effects like distortion and wah-wah pedals. Storo describes his style as “rocked-
up blues.”

Storo, who does all the vocals and guitar playing, along with bass and drums on
one track, is obviously influenced by fellow Texan, Stevie Ray Vaughn. But he
also draws heavily from Otis Rush and Freddie King.

Willy Kent’s “All My Life,” a slow, smoky blues, showcases his guitar prowess.

The one original on the disc, Storo’s “Lovin’ You,” sticks to the pure blues sound
and reminds me of Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, another of Storo’s influences.

For us stubborn purists, besides “That’s Alright,” Storo offers the snazzy
“Hipshakin’ Woman,” a fast-paced number. He puts a funky spin on “Sugar
Sweet,” a favorite of Muddy Waters, but the guitar solo is stupendous.

That brings us to “Chicken Heads,” a very long song with a Hendrix-like guitar
thing in the middle. The nearly 15 minute time span is OK with me, especially
when it took me most of the way home from work on a few late nights. The tune
was recorded live at the Sunset Bar and Grill in Houston, and you sure can
picture the bumpin’ and grinding that must have been going on.

I’m not quite sure why Storo picked “My Favorite Things” as the closing track It’s
rearranged as a jazz song, and, frankly, is much preferable to the original, in my
opinion.

Storo played drums earlier in his career, and worked with Bobby Parker, W.C.
Clark, and Trudy Lynn, among others, including Boston’s Brian Templeton and the
Radio Kings. He’s jammed with Albert Collins and Carey Bell, and has opened for
B.B. King.

The other band members on the disc are Chaz Nadege and Steve Cecil on
keyboards, Jessica Bucheit and Alfred Kennedy on bass, and Charlie San Miguel
and Mark McSwain on drums. - boston blues Society


"The Blues Scene"

Albert Storo & The Soul Hustlers - do I need to tell you anything more. Albert is knockin' out
windows & kickin' in doors with his blasting cap style of blues guitar playing. A lot of energy from
this guy!!
“The Blues Scene” Houston Online review
- Houston Online Review


"Getting Down and Nasty"

From Belgium..
" Gettin' Down & Nasty" Is the debut of the Texas guitarist Albert Storo. With Houston as his home
base.
In the openings song " That's Alright" we already hear directly, where Albert is, and what he's
doing, he’s reworked this song of Jimmy Rogers to the “seventies - sounding” Freddie King style
such as we that know, from the " Texas Cannonball" period. With the slow Chicago blues, Willie
Kent cover "All My Life" a lot of Otis Rush influences have jetted through my ears, and it is not all
singing and guitar playing that does Albert here, He also play the drums - and bass tracks are him
as well.
As a matter of fact, Albert was, long time drummer with, among others, Sherman Robinson, Bobby
Parker, W.C Clark and many other names with eminence. Of course as a Texas influenced blues
player, one could not stray away from the elements of a young styling of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
" Hipshakin' Woman" thus a number, which very much emotes work in Stevies style, up tempo
shuffle with much power it is.
The voice of Albert seems reminiscent on those of Popa Chubby, while on a couple other
numbers Albert sits there in what sounds to my ears as Hendrix, Stylistical in that raw intonation
which Jimi had at singing.
The funky " Sugar Sweet" go in advance to the slow live song " Chicken Heads" with intro that
seems to have walked away from " Voodoo Child" but just as later also 15 minutes lasting funk-
bluesfunk-blues funk-blues appear become, without kicking in the stereotype bluesrock down fall
of many of todays contemporary blue artists.
Only its own composition" Lovin You" leave appear that Albert will find also best its own style,
already are there many Stevie Ray detected influences, but also what Z.Z Hill type soul music.
in the songs styling.
And lastly, A strange number to finish, is the blues version of the Rogers and Hammerstein
composition, an instrumental of " My Favorite Things" from " The Sound or Music" , instrumental,
A Santana tinged version, but Storo succeeded. That is also the final conclusion for this short
debut of Albert Storo and his soul music Hustlers, a succeeding collection, in an extremely modern
way. A sound blues plate of this artist from Texas .
Freddie Celis - Rootstime Belgium Jan 08
- Rootstime Belgium


Discography

Alberts Storo and the Soul Hustlers: "Getting Down and Nasty"

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Bio


ALBERT STORO
Guitarist, Drummer, Vocalist
Contact: 713-931-0299 - E Mail: albertstoro@sbcglobal.net
Bands I've worked and Toured with over the years:

Bobby Parker (Blacktop Records)
Sherman Robertson (Sony & Atlantic Records)
Little Jimmy King (Rounder Records)
W.C. Clark
Trudy Lynn (RUF Records)
Brian Templeton (The Radio Kings of Boston)
Jon Paris (Johnny Winter)
Catfish Hodge
and 90% of every local Blues Band in Houston, TX from one time or another.

The SOUL HUSTLERS have also came in 2nd place the 2 times they entered the
Houston Blues Society National Blues competition.

You gots ta get behind the mule and plow folks....

Bands and Performers
I've Jammed or played a set or 2 with:

Albert Collins
Cary Bell
Sam Meyers
Uncle John Turner (Johnny Winter)
Jimmy Vivino
Kenny Neal
Wayne Bennett (Bobby Blue Bland)
Guy Forsyth
Chris Duarte
Jimmy "T 99" Nelson
Zuzu Bolin
Derek O'Brien
Sue Foley
Will Sexton
Ian Moore
Chris Thomas King
Abb Locke (Howlin Wolf Sax Player)
Johnny Vidacovich
(Professor Longhair,John Mooney, Scofield, Dr. John, Duke Robillard etc.)

Parentheses indicate whom those artists have worked for.

Opened for:
BB King, Little Feat, Son Seals, Delbert McClinton and many others

Notable Venues & Festivals played:
Verizon Theater (Houston)
Lugano Festival (Switzerland)
The Bottom Line (NYC)
Tramps (NYC)
House Of Blues (Cambridge)
BB Kings (Universal studios L.A. And in Memphis -many times)
Baltimore Blues Festival
King Biscuit Festival (Helena AR.)
Portland Waterfront Fest (Portland, OR.)
Tampa Bay Blues Festival
and many Blues Festivals in NJ, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC and various
Blues Clubs across the Country with the different artists that I've worked with
over the years both as a drummer and guitarist.