Sean Costello

Despite being raised in Atlanta, it seems that blues-rock guitarist Sean Costello took a good, long dunk in the muddy Mississippi before recording his fifth album. The Northside Tavern regular oozes a deep, swampy blooze somewhere between old ZZ Top and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The mood is lightened somewhat with a funky should-be single, “Can’t Let Go,” the most commercial tune here, and the chunky Bad Company-styled rocker “Hard Luck Woman.” Generally, though, Costello rides a dark, raw groove that’s over too soon on this roaring 45-minute release. He slathers BB King leads over the traditional gospel nugget “Going Home” and rummages in the backwoods on a spooky waltz time “Little Birds.” Otherwise, Costello sticks to tough, sharp originals. His flinty, cigarette-scarred voice and gnarled lead guitar take care of the rest on his finest release yet. 3 stars.