Anthony Geraci — “Tears in My Eyes” — Blue Heart Records
Anthony Geraci has been playing blues piano gigs since the mid-1970s, when he opened for a week of Muddy Waters’ shows in Boston.
That’s about half a century of music-making experience that’s available for Geraci to pour into his latest album, his second for Blue Heart Records, “Tears in My Eyes.” The result is a session filled to overflowing with fine piano-centric blues from this veteran musician and his guests.
Geraci and his band, the Boston Blues All-Stars, are joined on his ninth album by violinist Anne Harris and old friend and former Bluetones bandmate, Sugar Ray Norcia on vocals. The All-Stars are their usual sparkling selves for these eleven original cuts: guitarist/vocalist Barrett Anderson, drummers Marty Richards and Kurt Kalker, and bassist Paul Loranger. The album was recorded in two sessions, the first four tracks in the Boston area, and the others in Prague, capturing the band at its performing peak during a European tour.
Norcia does the vocal honors on the pulsating opening cut, the down-home “Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror,” a tough blues lament. The swinging, rhythmic “Owl’s Nest” is the first of five instrumentals, sparked by a spicy sax solo from guest Drew Davies. Guitarist Anderson’s vocal leads the way through the title track.
Another instrumental, the lyrical “Blues for Willie J,” is dedicated to the late Willie J. Campbell, who was Geraci’s bandmate in the Proven Ones blues-rock group. Norcia returns with a world-weary vocal on the slow-drag blues, “Judge Oh Judge.” The horns add power to the jazzy blues instrumental “Oh No,” followed by Geraci add vocals to his keyboard on the romping “Ooeee,” featuring a classic honking sax solo.
Harris adds elegant violin lines to the gentle instrumental caress of “Memphis Mist,” followed by the powerful southern rock riffs of “Witchy Ways” behind gritty Anderson vocals. Norcia returns with another mournful slow blues, “Now What,” and Geraci closes the set with a deliciously sweet instrumental, “Lonely Country Road Blues.”
“Tears in My Eyes” is another excellent original album from piano man Anthony Geraci, filled with a variety of expressive blues styles from sweet to sassy, all finely crafted by these talented veteran musicians.
Here’s the title track from “Tears in My Eyes”
Here’s a video of “Tears in My Eyes”
Tracklist:
1. Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror (6:14)
2. Owl’s Nest (3:06)
3. Tears in My Eyes (4:28)
4. Blues for WillieJ. (4:06)
5. Judge Oh Judge (5:44)
6. Oh No (4:32)
7. Ooeee (4:29)
8. Memphis Mist (3:41)
9. Witchy Ways (4:02)
10. Now What (5:36)
11. Lonely Country Road Blues (3:07)
Blues Roadhouse 