Album Review: Jerry Castle 'Not So Soft Landing'

Jerry Castle’s t-shirt on the cover of his latest, Not So Soft Landing, pretty much conveys what you can expect from his latest: rooted in rock, it’s an oft times out of this world trip of ethereal, expansive melodies coupled with earnest lyrics all delivered by Castle’s rich tenor.

Castle credits his time floating in sensory deprivation tanks as heavily influencing the project, due on June 24th, and that impact can be felt beginning with the pulsating opener and its heavenly chorus “Moonlight is my protector/I have nothing to hide/On the road to forever/It’s time to start the ride.” “Ride” tells the journey of a musician’s life on the road, but also launches the (sometimes) trippy journey through a truly unique record (much like Jonathan Tyler’s 2015, Holy Smokes).

The hazy “She Kills” is the dramatic tale of a female who has been through much, but needs something deeper, something that makes her feel rather than just going through the motions of life while the shadowy “American Dream” is a character study of someone who would “do just about anything to justify the means” in the rat race.

The sweeping melodies in “How Long” convey a tender pleading to a scared lover to return, “How long will you stay away pretend you’re okay?/What’s the use in being lonely?”, “Mercurial Love” provides meditative thoughts on a temperamental relationship and “Sunday,” with its gorgeous harmonies, is where he learns to face life post-breakup, “If I can get through Sunday I might pick up the phone, call up some old friends so I don't feel so all alone/Open up the curtains and let some light in here and pray your memory disappears.”

The album is rounded out with a bit of free-wheeling swagger on “Weekend Brawl,” and introspection on “Self,” which deals with internal struggles (amplified by the background vocals), “Need a trance to ease the pain/If I get ahead there’s hell to pay” before closing out with Castle’s take on the personal “Change.”

Not So Soft Landing is all at once atmospheric, psychedelic, and deep....succeeding in not only giving you well-crafted songs, but also in its ability to transport the listener to another place, perhaps somewhere to do a little meditation of their own.

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