Curtis Salgado “Legacy Rewind: Live In ’25”

Some artists build their careers on stage, through clubs and tours, smoky atmospheres and thousands of miles traveled in tour buses. Curtis Salgado is one of them. A powerful singer, expressive harmonica player and respected figure of contemporary blues, he returns with Legacy Rewind: Live In ’25, a live album revisiting several key moments of his career.

Recorded on April 5, 2025 at the Triple Door in Seattle, the album captures the energy of a concert performed by a particularly large ensemble. Around Curtis Salgado, no fewer than fifteen musicians take the stage, including a full horn section and three backing vocalists. It’s an impressive configuration that gives the project an irresistible soul dimension while preserving the intensity and spontaneity of the live performance.

But the goal is obviously not to enter the Guinness Book of Records. Beyond the sheer scale of the performance, what stands out most is the generosity of the record. Legacy Rewind: Live In ’25 offers a journey through the rich career of Curtis Salgado, diving into his repertoire where each song seems to find a new breath. The expanded arrangements add breadth to the material, the horns bring immediate warmth, the backing vocals establish an unmistakable soul depth, and the rhythm section maintains a constant drive. In short, pure soul pleasure.

At the center of this perfectly oiled machine, the voice of Curtis Salgado remains the key element. Always expressive and fully inhabited, it moves from a restrained phrasing to powerful, character-filled outbursts. He sounds completely at ease in this live setting, capable of carrying the entire ensemble with communicative intensity. It must be said that the man has plenty of experience. Before leading his own career, he notably sang with the band of Robert Cray, taking part in his early recordings, and later became the frontman of Roomful of Blues, one of the institutions of American rhythm and blues. It is no coincidence that John Belushi drew inspiration from him when creating the character of Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers, even naming the character played by Cab Calloway “Curtis.” Charisma is something our man clearly has, and he proves it once again on this live recording.

Among the songs brought back into the spotlight is Wiggle Out Of This, written for Curtis Salgado by pianist Peter Boe in the late 1990s. Long absent from his concerts, the track regains all its vigor here in a high-energy version driven by a band clearly enjoying itself. It is no surprise that the label chose it as the first single to accompany the album’s release.

Finally, a word about the cover artwork, which perfectly summarizes the spirit of the project. It shows an old cassette player placed on top of an amplifier, like a tape taken out of the archives to dive back into memories. A simple but evocative image for an album that revisits the past with a very present-day energy.

Legacy Rewind: Live In ’25 is an album that simply feels good. Generous, driven by an impressive collective and a singer at the top of his game, it reminds us just how exceptional a performer Curtis Salgado remains. A live album the way we like them: intense, warm and deeply human.

Technical information

• ARTIST: Curtis Salgado
• ALBUM: Legacy Rewind: Live In ’25
• FORMAT: live album
• MUSICIANS:
  • Curtis Salgado (vocals, harmonica)
  • Keashaun Jones, Margaret Linn, Lindsey Reynolds (backing vocals)
  • Alan Hager, Ben Rice (guitar)
  • John Linn (bass)
  • Gary Harris, Timothy Bryson (saxophone)
  • Dave Mills (trumpet)
  • Lars Campbell (trombone)
  • Brady Goss (piano)
  • Brian Harris (B3 organ)
  • Ron Tuttle (drums, percussion)
• LABEL: Nola Blue Records
• RECORDED: Triple Door, Seattle (USA) – April 5, 2025
• RELEASE: 2026
• FOR FANS OF: Robert Cray, Roomful of Blues, Delbert McClinton, Joe Louis Walker

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