Album Review – Matt Castillo’s “Pushing Borders”

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#510 and #550.5 (Traditional country, Tejano/Mexican-inspired Country) on the Country DDS.


Get ready to have your country music heart revitalized, your fear for the future of country music squashed, and your prospects for country music bolstered by the bold flavors involved in Matt Castillo’s new album Pushing Borders that puts a kick behind traditional country.

The challenge for any traditional country artist is to work within the rather rigid parameters of the traditional country sound and style of writing, yet still find new wrinkles and avenues to make the music more unique and expressive. That’s exactly what Matt Castillo does on Pushing Borders.

This is a traditional country album, and you recognize this right from the jump. Yet by adding a little bit of spice from the South Texas border through bursts of accordion and some Spanish moments in the lyricism, Matt Castillo makes something that is both familiar and distinct, while also being very personal to himself. It also happens to be super easy to warm to since Castillo’s naturally country voice compliments these songs like icing on a cake.

Along with taking a slightly Hispanic perspective on country, Matt Castillo also brings just enough back beat drive and guitar attack to certain tracks to give this music an infusion of rock enthusiasm. There are plenty of opportunities to cry in your beer if that’s what you’re looking for as well. But there is also an invigorating aspect to the songs of Matt Castillo, both for you the listener, and for traditional country in general.


You may not hear them on corporate country radio anytime soon, but Matt Castillo also comes with songs that sound like bonafide “hits.” His song “Say It” was one of the songs that first got people’s attention with that sort of Dwight Yoakam swagger Castillo brings to his music. Pushing Borders has a few of those moments with the rousing “Go Get Her” and the heart pounding “Te Necesito.”

And don’t worry, if you can ask for the restroom and order a beer in Spanish, little or nothing will be lost in the translation during the fleeting Spanish language moments of this album. Of course the language of love is universal, and the mood that Matt Castillo creates on the song “Trail Of Love” is one most everyone can comprehend, while “If It Rains Today” is the heartbreaker that’s required on any good country record.

There is a bit of an “always good, never great” aspect to the songwriting of Pushing Borders. There are numerous songs you immediately fall in love with like “Pain and Sorrow” and “Mañana Blues,” but maybe not in a way that makes them feel vital to your music universe. But you also have to tip your hat to Castillo for co-writing 13 of the album’s 14 tracks. If nothing else, it assures this music comes from Castillo’s own heart and experiences.

There is a lot of cosplay and affectations in traditional country these days since it’s so hard to find the “real deal.” And as the sound gets hotter, more people want to make music that sounds more country. But Matt Castillo is nothing but himself, not following some marketing scheme to expand his audience. He’s embracing his heritage and history to make traditional country that is distinctly him. Perhaps most importantly, he pushes borders, but he never crosses them. Because more than anything else, Matt Castillo is country.

1 3/4 Guns Up (8/10)

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