"Real Good Friend"

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D’Mar & Gill

Airtight Productions

Real Good Friend is quite an unique release from the Mississippi-based duet D’Mar & Gill, taking a new direction of their own on acoustic blues that has its base not only in Delta styles but African percussion rhythms as well. Both D’Mar (Derrick Martin) and Chris Gill bring strong backgrounds between them; Martin having worked alongside Little Richard, Bobby Rush and Big Jack Johnson and Gill learning first-hand from Bentonia legend Jack Owens and leading his own popular band The Sole Shakers. And they know how to bring a lot of sound out of just a guitar and drums. It’s raw material they offer, but it cuts to the bone.

The song selection is almost completely their own originals, save for one lone cover of the Willie Dixon standard “My Babe.” But they take that song on in their own direction that really becomes something new altogether with a strong drum backbeat and a somewhat call & response approach. There is really quite a variety of angles that the pair take on throughout the recording. “Mississippi Honey” is a pleasant ballad, “Tore Down” brings a moody guitar and vocal approach that brings Bentonia’s master Skip James to mind, “Harmony Street” offers a bit of a jazzy feel and “Crawfish Boogie” is a sweet little double entendre number with a bit of kazoo emphasis. The disc closes out with a romping instrumental, “International Blues Stomp,” with Gill’s exquisite slide guitar layered over the steady playing of D’Mar’s drums.

This is an act that you can picture playing on a street corner on a Saturday afternoon with a large crowd gathering to listen in. It’s a refreshing bluesy disc that proves you do not need a full band to deliver a full sound. Enjoyable start to finish and well worth giving a listen too.

Total Time: 40:48

Runnin’ Wild Blues / My Babe / Real Good Friend / Maybe Baby / Crawfish Boogie / Harmony Street / Two More Days / Tore Down / Mississippi Honey / International Blues Stomp

Reviewed by Greg Johnson

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"The Nature Of My Dreams"

Jeff Menteer

Self Produced

The Nature Of My Dreams is the debut recording of the Stacy Jones Band guitarist Jeff Menteer. Twelve original tracks that offer some of the most tasteful and tuneful guitar to be heard. For those who enjoy the type of playing you might associate with Robben Ford or Derek Trucks, this may be a complimentary album to fit alongside the music of those artists. Like those two musicians there is a nice hint of jazzy string work included in parts of the tracks here. And yet there is also a little Gary Moore styled edge to a few of the selections plus a couple rockin’ little pieces that fit in as well. But everything offered here is finely crafted and at moments bridging on the brink of guitar perfection.

Menteer does not stray away from the Stacy Jones Band too far, as all of the members of the band are heard throughout. A handful of the Puget Sound area’s blues artists also lend a hand, including Randy Oxford on trombone, Scotty Harris on sax, Angelo Ortiz on congas and bongos, and The Red Hot Blues Sisters’ Suze Sims providing her voice to two numbers. Besides Menteer’s guitar phrasing, the one who stands out most noticeably is Stacy Jones, throwing down fine harmonica and keyboard action.

The album opens with a little Spanish feel on “The Great Mystery That Surrounds Us” with percussion and guitar intermingling as Menteer and Stacy Jones harmonize vocals and she throws in just the right touch of harmonica to emphasize the feel. “Lonesome Dave” is rockin’ tune with some gritty slide magic. There is kind of a dream-like sense behind “Walking On Ice” and “So Much For So Little” just outright rocks with Suze Sims providing the right blend of voice to match Menteer.

Overall, I have to admit that my favorite tracks on The Nature Of My Dreams are the three instrumentals, with particular attention to There’s Gotta Be Something With You” that strikes with a softness that actually pierces the senses as it builds up intensity and then brings it back down to that cool flow accentuated by Scotty Harris’ fine saxophone. And I like the way that “Good Question” closes out the album with a little travelin’ roll that gives the listener with just the right amount of anticipation that’ll leave them asking for more. The Nature Of My Dreams is a very pleasing recording from a guitar player that we will undoubtedly be hearing a lot more from in the Northwest and hopefully others outside the region will take note, too. Nice job Mr. Menteer!

Total Time: 57:19

The Great Mystery That Surrounds Us / There’s Gotta Be Something With You / I Hope I’m Wrong / Honk Honk / So Much For So Little / Lonesome Dave / Ford Shuffle / Walking On Ice / Back Again / Weak Weak Man / Good Question