CD Reviews

"Real Good Friend"

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