Sugar Ray and the BlueTones featuring Little Charlie Too Far From the Bar

Sugar Ray and the BlueTones featuring Little Charlie
Too Far From the Bar
Severn Records

The new Sugar Ray and the BlueTones album is a corker of a recording. The regular cast of Anthony Geraci on piano, Michael 'Mudcat' Ward on bass, and Neil Gouvin on drums support Ray Norcia's vocals and harmonica. Handling the guitar on this recording is (Little) Charlie Baty playing on some of his last recordings. Duke Robillard, who produced this recording, adds his guitar to four songs. This stellar band is heard on nine originals from Norcia, Ward, or Geraci along with six covers of songs that have not become hackneyed from being over-recorded.

Norcia is superb, whether singing with his warm natural baritone or laying down swooping horn licks on the harmonica while the backing is stunning. Norcia's vocals flow naturally with a relaxed, mellow flow suggestive of Junior Parker and Fenton Robinson. His harp playing can rock like a Big Jay McNeely sax solo or warble like Sonny Boy Williamson. Baty's guitar sings whether comping, adding subtle comments to the vocal, or a sizzling solo. Robillard is more in a jazzy single note o his selections while Geraci is at the top of the game, at times channeling Otis Spann and elsewhere laying down his accompaniment with a jazz-tinged sophistication. The supple rhythm from Ward and Gouvin completes this sublime music.

The recording opens with a spirited reworking of The Five Royales "Don't Give No More Than You Can Take," with Norcia's ripping horn-like solo and Baty's explosive playing. It is followed by a first-rate rendering of John Lee Williamson's "Bluebird Blues" with Geraci superb while Norcia's harp evokes Rice Miller. There is plenty of humor in several songs, including the title song. It is about folks who go to a restaurant or bar and wondering when they will get served. After a swamp-pop flavored "Too Little Too Late," Norcia showcases his virtuosity on the energetic instrumental "Reel Burner." His playing on it is more James Cotton than Little Walter here. An excellent cover of Little Walter's "Can't Hold Out Much Longer," follows. One of the most original lyrics here is "Numb and Dumb" about a woman that has Norcia under her thumb as he wonders who she is taking home.

There is a somewhat frantic feel to "My Next Door Neighbor," with Baty blasting off with rockabilly-laced solo, although Norcia's vocal lacks the relaxed quality due to the frenzied tempo. On the cover of Otis Spann's "What Will Become of Me," Geraci is outstanding as channeling the legendary blues pianist behind Norcia's heartfelt singing. Robillard adds his touch to the jazzy feel of "What I Put You Through," as well as the standard, "I Got a Right To Sing the Blues." Another selection that Robillard is present on is Mudcat Ward's "The Night I Got Pulled Over." It is a talking blues with Norcia providing the narrative of a traffic stop without a reason because he fit a profile.

An alternate take of "Reel Burner" closes this album. That song title is an allusion to what Duke Robillard observed that the band was so hot that they even set a multi-track tape machine on fire. As hot as some of the performances are, others bring out different qualities and moods. Whatever the tempo or feeling, "Too Far From the Bar" is simply a stellar blues recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. (This CD is being released on September 18). Here is a video from 2019 of Sugar ray and the BlueTones with Little Charlie and Duke Robillard.

Anthony Geraci Daydreams in Blue

Anthony Geraci
Daydreams in Blue
Shining Stone Records

Anthony Geraci has had a lengthy career behind the keyboards. He has made substantial contributions to the bands of Sugar Ray Norcia and Ronnie Earl and been featured on over 50 recordings. Anthony Geraci's prior album "Why Did You Have To Go," I wrote, "There is so much to enjoy on this recording from the fresh, varied material from Geraci, his own consistently strong playing, a solid studio band, and terrific singing and playing." This latest album, his third as a leader, has 10 Geraci originals among the 12 tunes. He sings one vocal, with the other vocals handled by Dennis Brennan, who also contributes his harmonica. Monster Mike Welch, Walter Trout, Troy Gonyea, and Peter Ward are heard on guitar, while Michael 'Mudcat' Ward is on bass, and Jeff Armstrong is on the drums. Horns are provided by Scott Arruda on trumpet and Mark Early on saxophone, with Arruda, the principal arranger.

Musically this is a solid, varied program of blues and related music. There is the jazz-laced piano, biting guitar of Monster Mike Welch and fiery horns on the opening "Love Changes Everything" with its positive message. Then there is a Louisiana flavored blues ballad "Tomorrow May Never Come." The studio band is terrific and lending the music a relaxed intensity. Brennan is a capable, although not exceptional, singer. Walter Trout adds some scorching blues-rock guitar on "No One Hears My Prayers," with one of Brennan's most fervent vocals. Geraci is terrific accompanying the vocal.

Geraci takes the vocal on "Tutti Fruity Booty," a raucous jump blues rocker with tough boogie-woogie styled piano. "Mister" is one of two first-rate Chicago styled blues on this recording. Brennan's harmonica is spotlighted on this along with Geraci's Otis Spann piano pounding. There is a rendition of the classic Earl Hines recording that featured "Billy Eckstine, "Jelly Jelly," that allows Geraci to display a sophisticated touch with Welch adding a jazzy solo. One of the most memorable songs is "Dead Man Shoes," about thrift store used shoes and what kind of man would wear these shoes. It has one of Brennan's best vocals here as well as his atmospheric harmonica. Brennan wrote this song with Troy Gonyea and Peter Wolf.

A short instrumental by Geraci and rhythm, "Ode to Todd, Ella and Mike Ledbetter," is dedicated to Tom Hyslop, Ella Miller, and Mike Ledbetter," closes another entertaining recording from Anthony Geraci.

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance of Anthony Geraci from September 2019.

Peter Ward Blues on My Shoulder

Peter Ward
Blues on My Shoulder
Gandy Dancer Records

New England guitarist Peter Ward has not forgotten his blues roots growing up in Maine. " I grew up wearing out the vinyl records trying to understand how Robert Jr. Lockwood, Tiny Grimes, Louis Meyers and Jimmy Rogers made songs sound so good. It's what I wanted to do." The chords, fills and bass runs still delight him today and he treasures when Otis Rush told him decades ago that he (Peter) played chords like "an old man." He also had a stint touring as part of the Legendary Blues Band, "The way they played blues was everything I believed in, then and now."

On this recording of 12 originals and a cover of Robert Nighthawk's recording of "Kansas City Blues," he has an all star cast of players on various tracks, including guitar legend Ronnie Earl, Sax Gordon Beadle on sax and the members of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones: Sugar Ray Norcia (vocals and harmonica), “Monster” Mike Welch (guitar), Anthony Geraci (piano), Michael “Mudcat” Ward (Peter’s brother – bass) and Neil Gouvin (drums).

Ward is a Chicago blues traditionalist as evident on the opening "She Took It All," a song about his ex taking his Cds and mp3s set to a Jimmy Rogers styled shuffle groove with Norcia adding  nice harmonica along with a fine guitar solo and it has one Ward's better vocals here. "Witch Hazel" is a tribute to Chuck Berry with simple bass and drum support and an effective Berry inspired guitar solo. The title track is a modern Chicago blues with a driving groove and more fine harp from Norcia. It is followed by "Collaborate," a song where Norcia takes the vocal (and has a harp solo) with Ward displaying Robert Lockwood Jr.'s influence and Sax Beadle adding musical accents.

Instrumentals like "Shiprock," show his deft touch and a relaxed attack, while "Southpaw," is an tough organ-guitar number with Rusty Scott adding grease while Ward is in a jazzy vein here. His playing on "On the Ropes," has a bit of country twang mixed in. Geraci and Norcia also sound fine here. Geraci's rollicking piano is present on "What Can I Do To You?" with fair singing along with the backing. Ronnie Earl and Sax Beadle are on a couple tracks, an easy rocking shuffle, "It's On Me," and a tough West Side Chicago styled blues, "A Little More." Earl is terrific behind Ward's singing, and really explodes on the latter number. "Colletta" has a country blues feel with Eric Kilburn adding mandolin, and followed a cover of Robert Nighthawk's recording of "Kansas City Blues," a song first recorded by Jim Jackson in the twenties.

The closing "Drummin' Willie," is a tribute to Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, who had "that deep blues sound," and his remembrance of Willie and the Legendary Blues Band as he lists some of those he has played with. It is set to a Muddy Waters styled backing by Sugar Ray and associates. It is a straight-forward, solid close to this recording. Ward is an effective, if not great, vocalist, and a fluent guitarist rooted in the classic Chicago blues tradition and produced a very appealing release.

I received my review copy from a publicist. I have made a few clarifying edits to the review that appeared in the November-December 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 375). Here is Peter performing "Kansas City Blues."

 

Anthony Geraci and 50 Shades of Blue

“50 Shades of Blues” is a new Delta Groove recording by keyboard wizard Anthony Geraci and The Boston Blues All Stars. Geraci is best known in anchoring the keyboards for Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, and he is joined by his band-mates: Sugar Ray Norcia, guiatrist Monster Mike Welch, bassist Michael ‘Mudcat’ Ward and drummer Neil Gouvin (although Marty Richards handles the drum chair for most of this). Guests include Darrell Nulisch, Michelle ‘Evil Gal’ Wilson, and Toni Lynn Washington, who along with Norcia, handle the vocals. Geraci produced this, in addition to playing piano and organ, and writing all 13 songs.

He gives some really wonderful new blues heard in terrific performances by all involved. Darrell Nulisch sings the opening “Everything I Do Is Wrong,” that sounds a song Otis Rush should have recorded for Duke. It features a tough Welch solo while Geraci pounds the ivories. The title song follows, a jump blues duet shared by Norcia and Wilson, with rollicking piano. Welch plays in a T-Bone meets B.B. vein on this. The next two selections are classic Chicago styled blues. “Sad But True,” is a Tampa Red styled blues with Welch on slide and Norcia on harmonica. It is followed by the stunning Muddy Waters influenced “Heard Thet Tutweiler Whistle Blow,” with Norcia singing about going to Detroit to build a car for Mr. Ford. Geraci channels Little Johnny Jones and Otis Spann on these two songs.

More Otis Spann influence is present on the closing “Blues For David Maxwell,” a superb instrumental tribute to the late pianist with Geraci's at perhaps his finest (and he is exceptional thoughout). This performance builds in intensity as Welch adding fiery guitar before Ward’s bass leads the band into a surprising concluding portion where they evoke Pharoah Sanders “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” with Norcia playing wood flute here. It is a marvelous finale to a stellar recording. Anthony Geraci is a first-rate blues songwriter and a terrific keyboard player. With these superb musicians supporting him, there should be no surprise about the consistently marvelous music on “50 Shades of Blue.”

I received my copy from Delta Groove. Here is a performance from the CD release party.

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Hit All The Right Notes

Severn has just issued the latest from Sugar Ray & the Bluetones, Evening. The latest from the veteran New England band featuring the vocals and harmonica of Ray Norcia, the piano of Anthony Geraci,and the guitar of Monster Mike Welch tackles a typical range of Chicago and modern urban blues which are played in a traditionally rooted, but fresh approach. Michael 'Mudcat' Ward's bass and Neil Gouvin's drums fill out the solid rhythm section for the Blue Tones,

I have been a fan of Norcia since when I saw him in 1978 backing J.B. Hutto in New York City (when Ronnie Earl was still with him), and since enjoyed his stint with Roomful of Blues in addition to his strong body of recordings, this new release brings together a few choice interpretations of less covered blues with idiomatic blues originals that thankfully show little, if any, blues-rock tinges.

This set kicks off with Johnny Young's I Having a Ball, with Norcia blasting out some harp and then belting out an ebullient vocal that captures the spirit of Young's original; as Geraci pounds away at the keys and Welch suggests the brilliance of the late Sammy Lawhorn with his accompanying riffs and single note runs. Welch contributed the slow blues Hard To Get Along, as Norcia sings about needing to get better than he is in a performance that evokes the classic Chess sound before they cover Otis Rush's Checker recording You Know My Love, which was based on Rush's Cobra recording My Love Will Never Die. It takes a fair amount of bravado to cover Rush, and Norcia able handles the vocal while Welch rips off strong guitar that recalls Rush.

The mood changes with the lazy groove of Dear John. Sugar Ray’s harp here shows a touch of Walter Horton's influence as Sugar Ray laments his women leaving for his brother John. Sugar Ray celebrates his woman on I Like What You Got, followed by the “talking blues vocal of Too Many Rules and Regulations, as Geraci channeling Otis Spann and Welch adds scintillating fills behind Sugar Ray's talking vocal. Dancing Bear (Little Indian Boy), opens with Norcia playing a native American Flute, before delivering a lyric singing about a proud Indian boy. It is followed by a nice rendition of the standard Evening, made famous by Jimmy Rushing and T-Bone Walker. Geraci is outstanding on piano and organ, while Welch rips off a hot solo.

The harp at the very beginning of I Came Down With The Blues suggests Slim Harpo before Sugar Ray eases into a more Sonny Boy Williamson II vein. I'm Certain That I'm Hurting, is a lively shuffle with Sugar Ray is hurting about his girl's flirting. The closing, slow instrumental XO, allows Sugar ray to demonstrate his fluid attack and strong tone. There are a couple songs on which the lyrics are not be as strong as the superb playing by the Bluetones, but they consistently nail the performances here. I previously mentioned the contributions of the soloists the contributions of bassist Ward and drummer Gouvin, who (with Geraci) provide the solid, swinging foundation here, merit commendation. Evening is another first-rate effort from Sugar Ray & the Bluetones.

This is scheduled for release on October 18, so consider this review a heads-up. A publicist provided me with my review copy.