Das vierte reguläre Studioalbum (sieht man von den Mailorder Onlys mal ab) von Neal Casal ist auch sein abwechslungsreichstes. Eingespielt wurde „Anytime Tomorrow“ mit der gleichen Mannschaft, die auch schon bei seinem Debüt zugegen war: Jim Scott (Robbie Robertson, Hazeldine, Whiskeytown, Dylan etc.) als Produzent, Gitarren-Ass Greg Leisz, Bob Glaub (Bass), Don Heffington (Drums) und die alten Kumpel John Ginty an den Keyboards und Angie McKenna als Backing-Vokalistin.
Es beginnt gleich furios mit „Willow Jane“, einem Stones-mäßigen Rocker, bei dem auch direkt ein Bläserriff für mächtig Vorschub sorgt. Mittelschnell geht es weiter, mit „Fell On Hard Times“, einem dieser Casal-typischen, wohligen Westcoast-Rocker. Danach wird es erstmals sehr balladig, ja beinahe lieblich. „Luckystars“ bei Kerzenlicht gespielt, macht ganz sicher das Herz jeder Frau weich. Ein schön feistes Riff leitet das groovige „Sweetvine“ ein, auch hier klassischer Blue-Eyed-Soul mit Hammond B3. Der Casal-Sound wird einigermassen überraschend mit dem folgenden “Oceanview” um die bis dato unbekannte Pet-Sounds-meets-5-D-Byrds-Facette erweitert, inklusive Improvisations-Klangmalerei.
Wenn ein Song „No One Above You“ heißt, dann handelt es sich natürlich um ein Liebeslied. Neal legt seine Seele offen und der Song könnte jede Kuschel-Szene in einem Hollywood-Blockbuster musikalisch untermalen.
Zeit wieder Gas zu geben: Was Neal mit „Eddy & Diamonds“ auch tut. Fünf Minuten zupackender Breitwand-Rock und ebensolche Gitarren. Mit drei semi-akustischen Songs geht es weiter – „Just Getting By“, „Camarillo“ und „Time Down The Wind“, allesamt Beispiele für Neal´s gereifte Songwriterkunst. Mit „Raining Straight Down“ schließt sich ein langsamer, fetter und epischer Rocker an, für mich der beste Song auf dem Album. Beseelt endet das Album mit „Too Much To Ask“.
Nicht so in sich geschlossen wie „Fade Away Diamond Time“, aber auf jeden Fall noch ein klein wenig überzeugender als das ohnehin großartige „Sun Rises Here“ Vorgängeralbum. (Glitterhouse)

Neal Casal´s new album (his seventh in just 5 years) “Anytime Tomorrow” was recorded and mixed over 15 days during the summer of 1999 in Los Angeles. Producing was the esteemed Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Whiskeytown, Matthew Sweet, Wilco), who performed the same function on Casal‘s 1995 debut album, Fade Away Diamond Time. Also returning from those sessions were the in-demand players Don Heffington (an original member of Lone Justice, Emmylou Harris) on drums, Bob Glaub (John Fogerty) on bass, Neal‘s longtime partner John Ginty (Jewel, Matthew Sweet) on Hammond B3 and piano, Angie McKenna, another old friend and frequent collaborator, on backing vocals, and Greg Leisz (k.d. lang, Joni Mitchell) on pedal steel. How interesting that an unheralded artist like Casal could attract such a world-class lineup, and that they‘d all keep coming back for more. Every one of them, including Scott, also contributed to the limited-edition 1997 anthology “Field Recordings”, as well as 1999‘s “Basement Dreams”. The musicians and the producer weren‘t the only talent in the room, either: director Ray Foley (an associate of the Maysles Brothers) and his film crew shot extensive studio and interview footage for a documentary on Casal.

With “Anytime Tomorrow”, Casal set out to make a more diverse rock album then the folkier material on his more recent releases. When asked about the direction of the new album, Casal says „The music I play is rock and roll. Sure, there are elements of country, pop, blues, folk, and other sophisticated musical forms surfacing in my music all the time. But when it gets right down to it, I still feel like the 14-year-old kid in my Stones T-shirt, battered Converse All-Stars, and Gibson Marauder about to step onstage at the middle school talent show. I guess I haven‘t progressed very much after all these years [laughs]. Really, though, I‘ve absorbed everything from bebop to death metal, and though some people may perceive me differently, I‘ll always consider myself a rocker. I accidentally found myself standing next to Patti Smith in a guitar store one day and I saw her staring lovingly at an old Les Paul Junior hanging on the wall. As I was walking away, I heard her whisper to herself, „Man, that‘s a cool guitar.“ It was so great to find out that I‘m not the only one who‘s never gotten over the wicked rush of seeing a guitar and hearing rock and roll for the first time.“

A slight step back from Basement Dreams, although more slickly produced. Some of the songs follow a predictable trajectory, and to these ears there are obvious echoes and borrowing from other artists. The wistful/worshipful "No One Above You" is vaguely reminiscent of Eric Clapton's "Let It Grow." Other standout tracks are "Oceanview," which has a gentle dream-like Beach Boys quality, and "Just Getting By," which could almost be a Ron Sexsmith number. By the time the final track comes around, the excellent "Too Much to Ask," the parlor game of spotting influences is over, and the listener is mindful of a talent worth watching. Perhaps he should cast his net wider than the late '60s and early '70s. When he abandons the seductive Californian stoner persona and gets experimental, angry, or plain reckless, as on Basement Dreams, something exciting happens. A feeling still persists that this is a talented artist who could really catch fire. A little bit of arson or anarchy might actually help here. (by Mark Joseph , AMG)