Sugar Ray & The Bluetones - Living Tear To Tear (2014) [CD Rip]

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones – the storied blues ensemble which has backed Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Joe Turner, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Walter Horton, Big Mama Thornton, and JB Hutto – marks its 35th anniversary and sixth album for Severn Records with the August 19 release ‘Living Tear To Tear.’ The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from those Chicago blues masters, making it one of New England’s most beloved blues institutions. The Boston Phoenix said of its frontman, "A fixture on the national blues scene[, Sugar Ray] Norcia's elegant, emotive voice is his calling card [alongside his] rich, melodic harmonica blowing."

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have an incredible history, from early tours with Big Walter Horton; collaborations with Ronnie Earl; backing legendary artists in Cambridge and on tour; being invited for a residency at Chicago’s legendary south side juke joint Theresa’s, musical home of Junior Wells (though they had to decline due to other commitments); and earning five Blues Music Awards nominations for their last album ‘Evening’ including Band of the Year and Album of the Year.

‘Living Tear To Tear’ promises to be even bigger, coming on the heels of an eventful year that saw the blues world take notice of Sugar Ray & The Bluetones. Norcia was nominated for a GRAMMY and won two Blues Music Awards for his singing and harmonica on the album ‘Remembering Little Walter,’ his third nomination.

Tightly-knit after decades of performances together, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones feature four strong songwriters who penned ten of the album’s twelve tracks: Norcia, guitarist Monster Mike Welch, bassist Mudcat Ward, and pianist Anthony Geraci. ‘Living Tear To Tear’ delivers a breath-of-fresh-air set including the hard-driving roadhouse music of “Rat Trap,” the gritty, South Side-style “Things Could Be Worse,” the taste of Memphis on “Short Ribs,” the stinging slow blues of “Misery,” Louisiana swamp pop on “Our Story,” the expertly done Sonny Boy Williamson II cover “99,” and the tongue-in-cheek, jazzy “Hungry But Happy.”

Kim Wilson said, “Sugar Ray is the real deal.” Norcia fronted Roomful of Blues for the better part of the ’90s. Along with Ward and Geraci, he earned a GRAMMY nomination for ‘Superharps,’ which put his musicianship alongside that of Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Branch, and James Cotton. ‘Living Tear To Tear’ marks his 17th album as a leader. All Music Guide raved, “Aside from his stellar harp work, Norcia is an excellent singer, and at his best, brings a touch of country and jazz to the blues.” For The Boston Globe, Steve Morse wrote, “Sugar Ray’s voice combines the roadhouse grit of Muddy Waters with a lonesome desperation all his own. Sugar Ray gets so down and out that he makes your skin crawl. He has an ability to convey pain as few bluesmen of his generation can.”

Mudcat Ward has been heard on over fifty albums, including Hubert Sumlin’s GRAMMY-nominated ‘About Them Shoes,’ which also featured Keith Richards and Levon Helm. He's contributed both acoustic and Fender bass in live performance with Jr. Wells, Buddy Guy, Memphis Slim, James Cotton, Lowell Fulson, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thornton, and many more.

The band’s junior member, Monster Mike Welch began his recording career as a blues guitarist at thirteen years of age and has seen the depth of feeling in his playing grow exponentially over the ensuing two decades as he’s played with individual members of the Bluetones. He has joined the likes of Junior Wells, Johnny Copeland, Joe Walsh, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton, and Johnny Winter on stage and is featured prominently on last year’s ‘Independently Blue’ with Duke Robillard.

Anthony Geraci is one of the finest blues pianists working today, having graced performances with B.B. King, Otis Rush, and Chuck Berry, and played at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Drummer Neil Gouvin’s many credits include albums by Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, John Hammond, Jr., and Luther Allison.