ANTHONY GERACI - TEARS IN MY EYES

ANTHONY GERACI - TEARS IN MY EYES LABEL: BLUE HEART RECORDS RELEASE DATE: APRIL 19, 2024 Taking to heart Oscar Wilde’s famous quote “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” award-winning piano man Anthony Geraci pays tribute to the old masters as he calls them on his sophomore album on Blue Heart Records.

  Tears In My Eyes, a collection of eleven new tunes, were recorded with his band, The Boston Blues All-Stars: guitarist Barrett Anderson, drummers Marty Richards and Kurt Kalker, and Paul Loranger on bass, along with special guests, violinist Anne Harris, and old friend Sugar Ray Norcia on vocals. 

The hot off the floor tracks are from two studio sessions and reflect all that the veteran players know and love about the world of blues, jazz, jam, and soul. In the throwback manner of the heyday of the genre, Geraci and the band booked a session at Studio Faust Records in Prague, Czech Republic, in the midst of a five-week European Tour in the fall of 2022 to catch the group while at their peak. Seven original tunes emerged from a single day of recording with engineer Derek Saxenmeyer. The remaining four tunes completing the album were recorded in February 2023 at Wellspring Sound in Acton, Massachusetts. 

Recalling their days together in the Bluetones, Sugar Ray leads the boys through the bone crushing bump and grind blues “Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror,” and the rhythm section drives the swinging groove on the nimble instrumental “Owl’s Nest” that features a hot sax solo from guest Drew Davies. Anderson steps to the mic on the title track “Tears In My Eyes,” a modern blues with shades of 70’s Grateful Dead and Dylan. 

The elegant instrumental, "Blues for Willie J," is dedicated to Geraci's former Proven

Ones’ bandmate, the late Willie J. Campbell. Sugar Ray returns with his best Charles Brown on the tale of a man who fought the law “Judge Oh Judge.” Geraci and the fellas pay homage to Eddie Harris and Les McCann with their soul jazz instrumental “Oh No,” and Anthony has a little fun with the playful boogie woogie “Ooeee.” 

The soaring string lines from Harris add class to the lilting “Memphis Mist,” and the band takes a page out of the Eat A Peach playbook on the Southern Rock sizzler “Witchy Ways.” Sugar Ray pleads with the universe on the blues lament “Now What” and Geraci tickles the ivories on “Lonely Country Road Blues,” as a sweet pastoral closing number to the diverse album from a group of fine players.Rick J Bowen

WEBLINKS

• OS: www.anthonygeraciblue.com
• FB: www.facebook.com/AnthonyGeraciBlue
• IG: www.instagram.com/anthonygeraciblue 

FOCUS TRACKS

3. Tears In My Eyes, 7. Ooeee, 1. Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror

For mor info: Betsie Brown, Blind Raccoon, betsie@blindraccoon.com