Doug Jay – Until We Meet Again

Track Listing:
1. I'm all alone - 3:36   2. Playgirl - 4:19   3. Honey love - 2:52   4. Love my baby - 3:09   5. Knucklehead - 3:44   6. Forever and a day - 3:40   7. Watch your step - 3:06   8. She's dynamite - 3:17   9. I'll be your fool - 3:12   10. Besame mucho - 3:52   11. I just keep loving her - 3:37   12. Until we meet again - 5:36

Personnel:
Doug Jay (vocals, harmonica) , Anthony Paule (guitar) , Kevin Zuffi (keyboards) , Tim Wagar (bass) , Jim Overton (drums)

Reviews:

1. Blues News (Blues Connection of Central New York) (Tom Townsley), 04/01/1995
Doug Jay is a harp player and singer who has been based in Florida, the D.C area and San Francisco. His recent recording, Until We Meet Again, was made on the West Coast and boasts an array of blues-based grooves that showcase instrumental and songwriting capabilities. It's an eclectic assortment; Jay seems to be exploring many of the harmonica-oriented blues styles from various regions, and he proves adept at all of them
Until We Meet Again opens with "I'm All Alone," a rocking number in which Jay explores the middle octaves while playing in first position, very reminiscent of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Next up is "Playgirl," a crunching Chicago shuffle in the Eddie Taylor mode; Jay sticks with first position, this time focusing on the high and low octaves. "Honey Love" has more of a West Coast feel with Anthony Paule's guitar achieving something of a Hawaiian sound. " Love My Baby" flashes back to Sun Studios; it's basically "Mystery Train" with new lyrics. Jay next showcases his harp and pays homage to George Harmonica Smith with some nice tongue blocked octaves on the instrumental "Knucklehead." There are no pyrotechnical displays here — just some nice, laid-back groovin' with a few neat twists. "Forever And A Day" takes us to the top of Blueberry Hill, but the next cut, "Watch Your Step" descends to the Texas lowlands for some heavy shuffling. One of the few cover songs, Tampa Red's bouncy "She's Dynamite" is given solid, swing treatment; then it's on to Louisiana and Jay Miller's studios for the Slim Harpo-esque "I'll Be Your Fool." "Besame Mucho" is a flavorful chromatic harp number that strays from a strict blues format. Then Little Walter's "I Just Keep Lovin' Her" is given more of a Texas boogie arrangement, with the to-be-expected biting harp. Finally, the title track--and probably the most intriguing number from a harp player's perspective-strays again from the standard 12 bar stuff and explores some minor modalities in an elegiac style. This is a truly beautiful, lyrical cut.
All told, Until We Meet Again has a lot to recommend. Certainly it is worth acquiring (you'll have to get it at Doug Jay's gig at Styleen's, Thursday, April 13th). One can only look forward to the next recording; I, for one, will be curious to see whether he will continue to amaze us with his electicism. Either way, it should be a treat.