No Wish to Reminisce

Though Neal Casal is an in-demand session musician who has worked as a Cardinal with Ryan Adams and a string-bender with cosmic cowboys Beachwood Sparks, his eighth studio solo album delivers on its title with barbed guitar-pop and some timeless singer-songwriter moments on par with all the greats of a well rounded record collection. Although “You Don’t See Me Crying” introduces his 2006 long-player with the warm warble of an old Hammond organ and some rootsy electric guitar tones, *No Wish to Reminisce* doesn’t backpedal into any twangy territories treaded prior. The driving “Sleeping Pills In Stereo” throws power-pop punches punctuated by the kind of Anglo-flavored confessional wit associated with Glenn Tilbrook recordings from the ‘80s. The aptly titled “Grand Island” gets more…well…grandiose with orchestral arrangements providing a lush backdrop utilizing the same kind of gauzy mix that producer Michael Deming infuses on Pernice Brothers recordings. Rufus Wainwright’s influence subtly echoes throughout the wistful ballad “Freeway to the Canyon,” save for some road-weary inflections that could only come from having spent time treading asphalt with multiple bands.

At the point he went to record this album, Neal had been playing with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals for a couple years and took advantage of a tour break to camp out at a studio in Connecticut with producer Michael Deming, along with Dan Fadel on drums and Jeff Hill on bass. Deming wrote a dramatic string arrangement for the track ‘Grand Island’ and that song was Neal’s favorite on this album. ‘Freeway To The Canyon’ actually became part of the Ryan Adams & The Cardinals set for a while and there’s various versions of that floating around on YouTube. ‘Traveling After Dark’, ‘Sleeping Pills’ and the trippy electric guitar instrumental ‘Saw Stars’ are other highlights here.