Search - Sugar Ray & Monster Mike the Bluetones Feat. Welch :: Sugar Ray & the Bluetones Featuring Monster Mike Welch

Monster Sugar is sweet!

Bergman Jonas | Sweden | 03/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best baritone out of Rhode Island, well maybe the East Coast, or possibly the States-in modern times!! Sugar Ray Norcia has that velvety touch like Big Joe Turner and Bobby Bland and he sings from the heart. It is impossible to even think that he has not had the "blues"! This time he is back with the Bluetones (Michael Ward on bass and Neil Gouvin on drums), and Monster Mike Welch on guitar. Little Anthony guests on some tracks but this is pretty much a quartet recording, most of it live in the studio. Fans of Sugar knows what to expect; killer band, Chicago-Swamp/cajun-West Coast blues and that sweet tone harmonica on some tracks. True, this is eclectic, but this is probably how the band sounds like live and it is very good indeed. "Believe" kicks off with chromatic harp and a nice apologetic lyric about "a woman that is leaving surely"....not original but Sugar really sings the heartache and it is hard not to be touched. "Angels" sounds like vintage Sugar; amplified harp over a Chicago shuffle. "Love and trouble" is a slow blues with great harp again. "Burial season" is a song with a cajun touch, more than swamp. "Funk shun" features Monster Mike's guitar work on this slow blues. "Tomorrow" is a Howlin Wolf-inspired 2 chord blues with again deep blue guitar and harp work! The closing tune, and instrumental acknowledging 9/11, has a jazzy feel and brings this CD to a wonderful and dignified end. This is a great blues album in true Chicago style, and fans of vintage-sounding guitar and harp plus Sugar Ray's fantastic voice should get this one pronto. I class this as being as great as the CD "Knockout" from 1989, the first full album by this great outfit."

Gotta Love This Combination!

deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 04/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sugar Ray is blessed with silky smooth baritone pipes and the ability to blow harp with the best of them and when combined with the Bluetones, Sugar Ray is usually at the top of his game. What more could you possibly ask for, Monster Mike on guitar? Well, after three solo releases of his own, the Monster has joined the Bluetones for what may well be Sugars best performance unrelated to the Roomful of Blues. Guitar lovers will be thrilled with the tasty chops that fill "Love & Trouble" and Mike's licks and fair bit of noodling on "Funk-Sun" or the delta sounds of "Tomorrow Morning". Sugar Ray puts in his usually excellent performance on a number of tunes here including the instrumental dedicated to September 11, "From Now On This Morning". If there is a downside to this otherwise fine disc it would be found in the Country hoedown number "Why the Sun Sets Red and Low" which seems strained and totally out of place here. All it's missing is a couple of hee haws and a howling dog. Thank god it is also the shortest song on the disc at 2 minutes and 21 seconds."