SUGAR RAY AND THE BLUETONES

Evening

sugarrayandthebluetones.com

Blues enthusiast John Mayer sometimes pokes fun at himself for being from Connecticut, a place few associate with the genre. Despite its lack of hardscrabble romance, the Constitution State has produced some fine bluesmen. Case in point: Sugar Ray Norcia, a soulful vocalist and powerhouse harmonica blower who years ago “came down with the blues,” as he sings here. Norcia likes his blues Chicago-style, and he and the Bluetones get down with boogie piano, foghorn harp, and the scratchy Strat of “Monster” Mike Welch. Norcia has the chops to cover old standards, but it’s more fun hearing him complain about calories and parking tickets on “Rules and Regulations,” a blues anthem for the modern New Englander.