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“No Need To Spell It Out”

contains 12 Tracks and as far as the lyrics and music were concerned, this entire album was really a group effort, with all the members of the band getting credit on various songs. Stacy Jones herself, gets credit for writing the lyrics and music to nearly half of the Tracks. In addition to Stacy Jones singing and playing Piano, Organ, Acoustic Guitar, and Harmonica, she is joined by fellow band mates Rick Bowen (Drums, Percussion, and Vocals), Jeff Menteer (Lead Guitar & Vocals), and Tom Jones (Bass). Rick, Jeff, and Tom, bring an immense amount of experience to the Stacy Jones Band. Special Guest Kathy Hettel provided Harmony Vocals on 2 of the Tracks. “No Need To Spell It Out” was produced by Bubba Jones, Rick J. Bowen, and The Stacy Jones Band.

My first impression after listening to “No Need To Spell It Out” was that the music struck me as being more on the rock side then the blues side, but please don’t think that I didn’t like the music, actually I loved it. From the hard driving opener “No Matter What” to the hypnotic bluesy jazz closer “Diggin’ In The Mud”, the Stacy Jones Band simply do not miss a beat as each and every member of the band ploughs through each Track like a possessed John Deere Combine on a Horizonless Wheat Field.

“No Need To Spell It Out” certainly did not fall into the category of Sophomore Jinx, as it came across with as much power, creativity, and uniqueness as their fantastic debut release. Stacy Jones Vocals and the rest of the bands amazing Musical Prowess continue to shine brightly as does their future, if they continue putting out these kinds of albums.

“No Need To Spell It Out” is one heck of an album which continued to wet my appetite for future albums from this amazing group of artists. Highly Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed.

John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network) Nov 2011

BB“This is not a good CD. This is a great CD”

Those who have followed the live blues in the Puget Sound know the Stacy Jones Band as great lively band that gets people on the dance floor, has great guitar playing, and a great young singer in her 20’s. She is not just the great lead singer though. She plays piano, organ, harmonica, and guitar as well. If you try to count the instruments she can play bring pen and paper to make tick marks. If you have seen any of their live shows during the last year you have heard a lot of great new material. Now at last, that great new material is on a new CD you can get. It opens with harp and then the vocals of their song, “No Matter What.” The next song is “Glory Bound” and that may be what this band is heading for. Those two songs make you dance even if you don’t dance. When Stacy sings “Heavy Water” you feel something that only great blues music can do but can only be done by a great singer. If Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, or Debbie Davies want to sing this song (and I would bet they will want to) they will have to get permission. The music on this CD comes from the band. It is songwriting worthy of some awards and you can quote me on that.

Songs like “Do What You Wanna”, “You Belong to Me” and “Cry A Love Song” are all great songs that should be heard on the airwaves nationwide. “Full Moon With Her” and “I Think I Feel Like Leavin’”, and in fact every song here sounds like it was written by the best. The vocal harmonies, the guitar playing, the full arsenal of Stacy’s truck full of instruments,…it all makes this a good experience for your ears and gatherings should be organized for cardio workouts to it. I won’t be surprised by BB nominations in fields like “Best CD”, “Best Song Writing” with different band members competing over the award for songs they have on here, and “Best Female Vocalist.” I often underestimate people, so maybe there will be some nominations for some of the instrument playing too. This is not a good CD. This is a great CD. This is not a good band. This is a great band. Robert Horn- WBS Blues Letter- Dec 2011
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“allow Stacy to strut her stuff on harmonica”

From the State of Washington, Stacy Jones has been singing and playing music since she took up the piano at age four. Before she’d graduated from high school, she’d also become proficient on the guitar and harmonica. Hard work and a lot of practice have paid off as the The Stacy Jones Band hit the ground with a steady gallop. They have now released three annual albums including 2009’s “Live at the Triple Door EP,” 2010’s “Long Time Comin’” and now 2011’s “No Need to Spell it Out.” After the 2009 release, the band was recognized as Best New Band by the Washington Blues Society. The following year, the Society named Stacy as winner of the 2010 Best Female Vocalist award. The band’s formula for success is to consistently present charged-up music that imparts energy, power, originality and talent.

Rick Bowen (drums), Tom Jones (bass) and Jeff Menteer (guitar) are consummate musicians who have the chops, as well as some foresight to push the envelope a bit into some blistering rocking territory. They also all contribute to the band’s original material. Special guest Kathy Hettel sings some harmony on two tracks, “I Think I Feel Like Leavin’” and “Do What You Wanna’.” While there are several enjoyable tracks on this CD, “Heavy Water” is a standout track that establishes an engaging groove, includes vocal harmony, and allow Stacy to strut her stuff on harmonica. The following track “You Belong to Me” showcases some of Stacy’s fine piano playing. Appearing regularly at venues like The Oxford Saloon in Snohomish, WA., this band deserves the attention of a larger legion of fans. Joe Ross- Roots Music Report – Nov 2011

Cascade_B_Logo“Boy, if you haven’t had the chance to catch the Stacy Jones Band yet, you’re really missing out on a fun time.”

The Seattle-based band has yet to make it to Portland, but they’ve been busy throughout the Northwest that when they finally do get down this way, jump at the chance to see them. Their latest release, No Need To Spell It Out, all originals capturing their rockin’ blues material to a tee. It’s jumping and it’s thrilling.

Stacy’s voice soars like all the great female blues shouters before her, like Big Maybelle, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor and Lydia Pense. The band’s delivery is stellar; hot and smoldering and it cooks! Jeff Menteer is a guitarist of note. He can be funky, greasy, blistering and steaming, whatever the mood of the song calls for. Pay extra attention to his playing on numbers like “Glory Bound,” “You Belong To Me,” “Cry A Love Song,” and the solo he takes on “Tell Me Why” is absolutely biting! Rhythm section Rick J. Bowen on drums and Tom Jones on bass delivers in the pocket every time out. And what can you say about Stacy? The lady simply does it all. Besides her extraordinary vocals, she lays down acoustic guitar, keyboards and killer harmonica.

The Stacy Jones Band is destined to become another Northwest favorite. If you can’t make it up

north to catch them and do not want to wait until they get to Portland, pick up a copy of No Need

To Spell It Out and enjoy their music now. And you’ll be listening to it for a long time to come.

Greg Johnson-Cascade Blues Association – Dec 2011

Nashville_Blues “It is some sho’ nuff high-octane, all-original blues “

The Washington Blues Society has a hidden treasure that shouldn’t stay hidden for long. Building off their 2009 victory for Best New Band for that Society, Stacy Jones won for Best Female Vocalist in 2010. And, they have just released their fourth overall CD, entitled “No Need To Spell It Out.” It is some sho’ nuff high-octane, all-original blues that showcase not only Stacy’s writing and vocal prowess, but her keyboard, guitar, and harp(!) chops, too. The rest of this high-powered group are Tom Jones on bass, Rick Bowen on drums, and Jeff Menteer on guitar, and they blast thru these cuts with tight arrangements as well.

Stacy’s powerful, gospel-centered vocals that are prevalent on several cuts. The set opens with her harp and acoustic guitar intro on “No Matter What,” where our heroine struggles to find just the right words to tell a lover her true feelings. “The Radio Song” features her piano work in a tale where she eschews trickery and gimmickry in favor of singing from the heart and soul to convey her message. “Glory Bound” features some deep slide over a passionate vocal from Stacy, while “I Think I Feel Like Leavin” is a good-time shuffle built around a rhumba-fied beat.
We had three more favorites, too. Everyone knows of someone who’s just a bit eccentric and slightly left-of-center, and it seems everywhere she goes, she “brings the Full Moon With Her.” “The Medicine” has more of Stacy’s great gospel fervor, while the power of Hurricane Katrina is documented in the swampy, brooding tale of the “Doomsday Reveille,” “Heavy Water.”

Stacy Jones is a multi-talented young woman bent on conquering the contemporary blues world. With sets as formidable as “No Need To Spell It Out,” she and her band make themselves a definite force to be reckoned with!! Until next time…..Sheryl and Don Crow The Nashville Blues Society Dec 2012.

Midwest_Logo “A blues belter that rocks”

STACY JONES BAND/No Need to Spell It Out: A blues belter that rocks it in a higher register than most of her sisters, she’s been wowing them in Washington state picking up the awards like they’re litter. A high octane party set where you can even do the white guy dance and not feel self conscious about it when this is playing.

Chris Spector , Midwest Record DEC 2011.

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“best blues/soul/rock bands not only in the Northwest, but the entire country”

Stacy Jones Band: No Need to Spell It Out With their third release in as many years, the Stacy Jones Band sounds more confident, ballsier and sounding like they are having one hell of a good time recording No Need to Spell It Out.The Stacy Jones Band is a four piece which calls the Pacific Northwest home. They are a talented bunch of players and have been honored with the 2010 Best Female Vocalist and 2009 Best New Band awards from the Washington Blues Society, so they have a lot to live up to with their latest release, and they don’t disappoint .With 12 original new songs, the Stacy Jones Band – Stacy Jones (vocals, harmonica, keyboards, acoustic guitar); Tom Jones (bass, vocals); Jeff Menteer (guitar, vocals); and Rick Bowen (drums, vocals)-rip right into it with the opening track “No Matter What.” With Stacy Jones killer harmonica playing over the band’s steady groove, you are in for a roadhouse-style good time. Jones’ vocals are bright, powerful (and thankfully not buried in the mix), because she can wail her heart out – channeling her inner Etta James, Janis Joplin and Beth Hart. The fact that she is also a very skilled harmonica player and keyboardist makes this front woman a force that can hold her own.On stage is where these new tracks are meant to be played. “You Belong To Me” would go down with a cold one in a dirty juke joint, while “Do What You Wanna” is a sassy hip shaker for all to enjoy. Above all else, “Heavy Water” and “Think I Feel Like Leavin’” are two of the best songs the Stacy Jones Band has ever written. “Heavy Water” is a sexy smoldering jam with haunting harmonica in the background, and it builds to a powerful chorus. “Think I Feel Like Leavin’” is a throwback blues jam you might have heard coming out of the small bars of Mississippi in the 1940s.It’s a pleasure to watch a band grow through their records, and Stacy Jones Band has certainly done just that. No Need to Spell It Out shows that this quartet has matured to be one of the best blues/soul/rock bands not only in the Northwest, but the entire country.

Published 1-31-2012 By:Troy Michael

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Stacy Jones Band
Live and Untapped
(Self-Released)

Back in May 2011, the Stacy Jones Band rocked the Untapped Brews and Blues Festival in Washington and recorded it for prosperity.

The band – Stacy Jones (lead vocals, harmonica, piano, and guitar); Jeff Menteer (guitar, vocals); Tom Jones (bass); and Rick J Bowen (drums, vocals) – ripped through an 11-song set which included nine originals and a few covers.

Showcasing their hybrid of blues, rock and soul, the band comes out blazing with the 7-minute-plus “T-Bone Shuffle” which has a frantic harmonica/guitar standoff. The band keeps the pedal pinned to the floor with one of their best songs “Heavy Water” about Hurricane Katrina.

Stacy Jones and company covers “You Upset Me Baby” by B.B. King, which flows right into a spot-on jam of the Rolling Stones “Miss You,” which finds Stacy Jones owning that harmonica. The third cover is “I’d Rather Go Blind “originally by Etta James and it fits in their set perfectly.

Other highlights of original material from the band are the backwoods swamp boogie of “You Belong to Me,” and the catchy “I Think I Feel like Leaving.” The band closes out the set with a cover of the Jackie Wilson classic “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher,” which I am sure got the crowd dancing.

All in all, the Stacy Jones Band is one powerful blues rock band, it’s no wonder they have won awards. Individually this quartet has it all together. Sometimes you hear a band’s studio work and it doesn’t hold up live, not the case here, Stacy jones Band is the real deal.

Published 6-27-2012 By: Jonathan Tuttle

 

BB“Best Female Vocalist and Best New Band”

Stacy Jones has been playing music since she started playing piano at the age of four. By the time she finished high school, she had also picked up guitar and harmonica. She was singing Hank Williams songs in her dad’s band when she was eight years old. She’s been active on the Seattle blues scene since her teens and formed The Stacy Jones Band with Rick J. Bowen (drums), her father Tom (bass) and Jeff Menteer (guitar) several years ago, winning Best Female Vocalist and Best New Band awards from the Washington Blues Society in 2009.The band’s fourth release, No Need To Spell It Out (Critical Sun Recordings), is a strong mix of blues/rock tunes, all written by various members of the band. Ms. Jones has a powerful, expressive vocal style, is equally skilled on guitar and keyboards, and can flat blow the back off a harmonica. Highlight tracks include the rocking opener, “No Matter What,” “Glory Bound,” which features some fine slide work from Menteer, the funky “Heavy Water,” where Jones gets to show off her harmonica skills, and “You Belong To Me,” where she takes a soulful turn on the keyboards. Guitarist Menteer really shines throughout the disc, but he really takes the cake on “Cry a Love Song,” an eight-minute rocker.

No Need To Spell It Out is a marvelous set of robust blues/rock tunes presented by a rising star on the blues scene, the talented and charsmatic Stacy Jones. Blues fans would do well to keep an eye (and ear) out for her, for it sounds like she’s just getting started and still has a lot left to say. FEB 2012. — Graham Clarke
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Nothing But Good – Blues Wax Rating: 8

The Pacific Northwest has been producing some very interesting blues acts lately. This continues to be the case with the Stacy Jones Band out of the Seattle, Washington, area. This is one tight band. Front and center is Stacy Jones, an accomplished musician and a powerful vocalist. Not only can this lady belt out a song, but she can play piano, as well as a mean harp. Her band was not short-changed on talent either. Playing bass guitar, is her father, Tom Jones, who has been playing bass as a primary instrument for over twenty-five years. The remainder of the quartet consists of guitarist Jeff Menteer and drummer/percussionist Rick J. Bowen. I love Menteer’s playing, it reminds me a bit of Clapton on a few tracks.

Composed of original and well contrived tunes, No Need to Spell it Out is an unexpected delight. So delightful and enjoyable, it’s hard to choose a favorite. The opening track, “No Matter What,” has been circulating around my head more and more. It’s a catchy little love song and just a bit over two-minutes long. I look at it as kind of an appetizer for the rest of the album. It gets the juices flowing while the full meal is being prepared. Tell the chef that the harmonica was delicious.

There are a few songs that I consider the icing on the cake. One of those songs is “The Radio Song.” This one makes me grin ear to ear like a possum. The song itself is an upbeat head-bobber. With Stacy playing piano and Menteer seemingly possessed by Jerry Garcia, the performance reminds me a bit of the Grateful Dead with Bruce Hornsby. Stacy’s vocals, smooth and sweet, show us a nice range and occasionally comes off as very beat, like Rickie Lee Jones. Another lively song, “Do What You Wanna,” immediately follows. This one, no doubt, draws a crowd to the dance floor when performed live. It’s just laid out so well, it’s pretty much the full package. From Bowen’s dynamic drum fills and Tom’s walking bass line, to Stacy’s vocal styling, ”Do What You Wanna” exudes an abundance of energy.

Unique and special, the very last song, “Diggin’ in the Mud,” caught me totally off guard. Somewhat of a manic spiritual, it has a certain Bourbon Street vibe. Stacy plays the piano fast and furious, keeping up with the constantly increasing tempo.

I have nothing but good things to say about this album. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Phillip Smith is a contributing writer at Blues Wax.