Soul N’ Blues Rocker Emanuel Casablanca Releases Gritty New Single ‘Blood On My Hands’

Inspired by blues heavyweights like Albert King, Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy and Freddie King, guitarist and songwriter Emanuel Casablanca delivers hard-hitting and old-school blues riffs that would make his predecessors proud.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Casablanca was exposed to a rich variety of culture and music, from artists like Biggie and Lil Kim to musical influences that included his mother, a music teacher who kept Casablanca playing on a more classical and gospel path.

Casablanca’s newest single, “Blood on My Hands” is an old-time blues rock ballad all the way.

Featuring elements like dueling, fuzzed-out and gritty sounding guitars, trading turns as they rip away at deliberately played blues licks. Featuring a rhythm and syncopation that elicits nostalgia of that classic blues sound, this track does an excellent job at capturing the soul of the legendary genre.

Casablanca, the former Gibson USA artist, masterfully shows his prowess as a guitarist on this single, as the listener can easily hear his fingers dancing up and down the fretboard, performing intricate solos and traditional sounding fills. Casablanca’s vocals are also reminiscent of that vintage blues sound; soul-piercing and core-shaking, though not quite as rough and scratchy as some of the other titans of the genre.  

With a solid and consistent backing beat laid down by the rhythm section, this track achieves new heights, finding footing as a modern rendition of classic blues elements. Casablanca is doing a great job at maintaining the relevancy of the genre, as it has waned in recent years.

Through his new single, “Blood on My Hands” Casablanca solidifies his position as an elite force in modern blues music, and leaves listeners eagerly anticipating his next release, yearning for more of that old-time blues sound.

Photo by Stefano Ortega