Castles

A cover of a well-known song often serves as a good introduction to a lesser-known artist, and that is no less true of the opening cut on Vance Gilbert's new album, Angels Castles Covers. "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" opens an album that's mostly filled with pop and R&B covers, delivered in Gilbert's soulful, smooth vocal style and backed by light accompaniment. Indeed, one might think of Gilbert's approach as soul lite, an approach that's easy on the ears and that commingles easily on cuts like "Rainy Night in Georgia," "I'm So Tired of Being Alone," and "Save the Last Dance for Me." The most daunting thing here is that it's inevitable, since these songs are so well-known that they'll be compared to the originals.