Product Description
BLOOD BROTHERS MIKE ZITO & ALBERT CASTIGLIA - HELP YOURSELF
RELEASE DATE SEPTEMBER 19, 2025. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
'Help Yourself' by Blood Brothers - featuring blues powerhouses Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia - is a raw, electrifying testament to grit, soul, and survival. Capturing the unfiltered energy of two of today's most dynamic guitarists and storytellers, this record bleeds heart and fire. With blistering riffs, gritty vocals, and undeniable chemistry, 'Help Yourself' is a modern blues revival that proves the genre is not just living - it's thriving.
- 1 Help Yourself
- 2 Can't Be a Prophet
- 3 Alive
- 4 Soulard Serenade
- 5 Low Down
- 6 The Best I Can
- 7 Prove My Love
- 8 Ol' Victrola
- 9 Running Out of Time
- 10 Do What You Gotta
BLOOD BROTHERS (Mike Zito/Albert Castiglia)
Help Yourself
Gulf Coast Records
Fresh from their whirlwind touring, the Blood Brothers headed to the Shock City Studios in St. Louis in mid-April to record their sophomore album of ten originals and one cover (J.J. Cale’s “Low Down”) with their seasoned band of drummers Ray Hangen and Matt Johnson, bassist Scot Sutherland, and keyboardist Lewis Stephens. Co-produced by Zito and Castiglia whose aim was capturing the high energy of their recent tours. According to Zito, “It was great to capture the band live in the studio, just like live on stage.”
The Zito penned title track about self-reliance opens the album with a thunderous crunch setting the tone for the most of the boisterous blues-rock that follows. Castiglia’s lurching “Can’t Be A Prophet” rues the change from being treated like royalty on tour to being an ordinary citizen at home. It reminded me of Percy Mayfield’s “Stranger In My Own Home Town.”
Incendiary leads and solos, soaring dual guitar leads, rock-ribbed rhythms, and soulful, no nonsense vocals abound, everything their fans expect. Most of the album rocks hard with me hearing vestiges of Allman Brothers, Hendrix, Cream, and ZZ Top (among others, e.g., Cale’s “Low Down” has an early seventies Stones vibe).
Other tunes I most enjoyed were Castiglia’s Southern rocker “Ol’ Victoria,” a tribute to vinyl with shout outs to Little Richard and Muddy Waters and the group composed instrumental “Soulard Serenade” with searing dual leads and a robust organ solo. On a softer side is Zito’s “Alive”; his soul baring love letter to his new love Jackie who redeemed him after the devastating loss of his wife Laura.
Whether performing solo, as the Blood Brothers, or with Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, the hugely popular Zito and Castiglia are at the forefront of guitarists on the current scene. Help Yourself will please their many fans and perhaps gain them some new ones. It rightfully will be a serious contender for blues-rock album of the year.
– Thomas J. Cullen III