iSound

In Neal Casal one hears a true voice, a singer songwriter who plies his craft because he must, because the songs demand to be born and sung and carried from town to town. His music hums with the thoughtful buzz of vintage California rock, sunset hayrides full of introspective lyrics and magnetically catchy tunes. His songs crystallize all those little things we don't say to each other but think just the same. In his work there are echoes of My Morning Jacket, Tim Hardin and other resolutely honest tunesmiths. Over the course of six full-length studio albums he's never wavered from staring down life with an emotional density that's rare these days. On his seventh solo release, Return In Kind, Casal turns his attention to the musical food that has fed him. Over the course of 10 well-chosen covers, Neal quietly explicates the roots of his muse, tipping the hat to Gene Clark (Byrds), Royal Trux, Johnny Thunders, Love As Laughter and more. It's fitting that the collection begins with...