Seattle-area blues outfit Stacy Jones Band spent last summer in a recording studio in Snohomish. They emerged with a fine collection of 12 original songs.

Stacy Jones herself sings and plays harmonica, keyboards and acoustic guitar. Leadoff track "No Matter What" displays her harmonica skills and her talent with writing lyrics. "No matter what I try no matter what I do/ no I can't seem to find the words to tell you I love you." Rick Bowen's drumming propels the tune along.

The entire band wrote the music to "Heavy Water." Tom Jones gets somewhat funky with his bass line.

Guitarist Jeff Menteer wrote the lyrics and music of "You Belong To Me." The bass line holds down the foundation and a good piano solo makes this among the stronger tracks on the album. Stacy Jones puts some sass into her vocals. "Like honey to a bee, you belong to me/ oh can't you see, that you belong to me?"

Menteer wrote "Do What You Wanna," on which he lays down a tasteful, soulful guitar solo.

About halfway through the CD it becomes apparent the band has put some thought into the placement of songs, alternating mellower tunes with upbeat ones.

"Full Moon With Her" is about a woman catching a show in a club. "Shaking that old tambourine/ dancing up front with her friends where everyone can see/ before you know it she has everyone on their feet."

Stacy Jones wrote "Cry A Love Song," another standout track. At seven minutes and 45 seconds long, it displays her compositional skills. It starts out easygoing then builds in intensity, sounding much more like rock than blues after a few minutes.

Menteer plays a long, tasteful solo on "Diggin' In The Mud."

"No Need To Spell It Out" is a strong effort from one of the rising bands on the Puget Sound blues scene.

Stacy Jones Band plays The Mix in Seattle at 8 p.m. on Feb. 3