Cas Lucas Giving It Back Review

Overall Rating

Hypnotic guitar picking
Top-flight songwriting
Sharp
Clear vocals

The title of singer/songwriter Cas Lucas' new album "Giving It Back" can be interpreted in different ways. On one level, it can be seen as a threat of revenge; on the other hand, it might also mean contributing to the community that raised you. While the former seems more likely in terms of the blues, this is a far friendlier album than you'd expect from that genre. Yes, there are people who'd argue that an acoustic record isn't a blues LP, but there's no other way to describe Lucas' soulful, rootsy approach. This isn't folk nor is it the acoustic pop employed by John Mayer or Jack Johnson.

Lucas' heart is in the blues, and you can hear it in the plaintive chords of "Home," a nearly suicidal track that wallows in despair but manages to walk away scar-free. "Giving It Back" follows Lucas' emotional terrain, hiking through misery and joy with a true storyteller's ear and the gut instinct of an Army general. This is a man who plays what he feels - and what he feels like. Every track's a sparkler, especially "Feelin'" (albeit too short), "Dream A Window," and "You and Me."