Page 53 - BiTS_06_JUNE_2024

by the relaxing piano and guitar as the number drifts you further away.

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘Empty Arms’ is a full on brass and piano, swinging groover, with suitably
growling guitar work. The more reflective ‘Past The Pain’ is a harmonica-led, melancholy, slow
burning blues. While the Elvis Presley influenced ‘Mess Of Blues’, is quite simply relaxing. Bart
visibly flexes his Blues Rock muscles on ‘I’m Ready’. The calming influenced jazz/blues of ‘You
Make Me Move’, floats upon a gentle sea of synthesiser.

Both Albert King’s ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ and Buddy Guy’s ‘Whiskey, Beer And Wine’, veer not
unpleasantly, into heavy territory.

‘Out Of This Blue’ is a gently reflective piano and flute led blues ballad. Whereas; the slow
building ‘Motown Groove’, is an “all hands to the pump”, tribute to the legendary Label, including
rolling funk, girly vocals and grooving music.

Recommended!

Brian Harman

Anthony Geraci—Tears In My Eyes—Blue Heart Records
BHR-060

Piano man Anthony and his band, which includes Barrett
Anderson; guitar, Marty Richards and Kurt Kalker, drums, Paul
Loranger, bass and guests, Anne Harris, violin, with guest and
old friend Sugar Ray Norcia (SRN) on vocals. Most of the album
was recorded at Studio Faust Records, Prague, in the Czech
Republic whilst Anthony and the band were touring there. The
remaining numbers were recorded at The Wellspring Sound in
Acton, Massachusetts.

The eleven new numbers here are a mixture of instrumentals
and vocals. The opener is ‘Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror’, SRN
delivers raw emotive vocals while Anthony lucidly rolls out an expansive and emotive New
Orleans piano with steady percussion and raw guitar underpinning it all.

The sparkling jazz influenced instrumental ‘Owls Nest’, contains a refreshing saxophone refrain
from Drew Davies. The rolling ‘Tears In My Eyes’, possesses definite elements of The Band.

Anthony’s tribute to the late Willie J. Campbell ‘Blues for Willie J’, is a delicately expansive,
emotion filling grandly played piano piece. The pleading, melancholy ‘Judge Oh Judge’, certainly
reminds one of the velvet voice of Charles Brown.

‘Oh No’, is a splendidly sparkling, freewheeling instrumental. SRN gently urges one on the
swinging boogie woogie of ‘Ooeee’.

On ‘Memphis Mist’, the soaring emotive violin, merges deftly with the equally satisfying soaring,
emotive piano.

There is an enjoyably southern gothic feel to the rocking ‘Witchy Ways’.

The panoramic, slow burning blues of ‘Now What’, is further embedded in sorrow by SRN’s
vocals as it entwines with the stoically sparse piano.

The splendidly bucolic and gossamer light piano piece ‘Lonely Country Road Blues’ pleasantly
drifts you away as the song gently does so too.
Recommended!

Brian Harman