It’s, likely, safe to say that Belfast, Northern Ireland native Dom Martin is a shooting star in the blues music world. Born to an accomplished guitar playing father, Martin began playing guitar at 5 years old. Flash forward a few years and we discover that Martin has become a member of the United Kingdom’s Blues Hall Of Fame and won numerous awards. The awards include, Best Instrumentalist in 2022 and 2023 from the UK Blues Awards and Best Acoustic Blues Artist in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The IBBA DJ’s/Presenters awarded him with the Blues Album Of The Year in 2024 for his album, Buried In The Hail. In addition to the many awards won by him, he has received accolades from the likes of Walter Trout; who said, “Dom Martin is amazing! At times he seems to be channeling the spirit of some long gone originator of this music, while putting his own modern stamp on it. A unique, genuine, vital artist.”
Dom Martin’s newest album, released on December 13, 2024 on Forty Below Records, is a two album set titled Buried Alive. This newest offering features live cuts from three previous albums; Spain To Italy (from 2019), A Savage Life (from 2022) and Buried In The Hail (the award winning album from 2023). The recordings are taken from live appearances by Martin at various venues in Europe and the United Kingdom and feature lots of his impressive songwriting ability and masterful guitar work. There is a enough great, original music on these two albums to satisfy any blues music lover.
Buried Alive is a collection of 16 live recordings that opens with “Daylight I Will Find”; a great bluesy and soulful number that just wets your appetite for more. Dom Martin sings that it’s not about the money and in his case I believe it. The song screams artistry concerning his playing and singing and I believe he’d sing and play the exact same way, even if he didn’t make a dime. “Howling” reminds me so much of the good old classic blues tunes from times past; singing, “howling all night long”. That acoustic blues sound changes about midway through the song with a little bass opening the way for some gain infused, hot picking reminiscent of Alvin Lee. The very next cut on Buried Alive is “Belfast Blues” and it’s another great acoustical blues offering by Martin. He sings that he’s “been shot, stabbed and burned out, with the Belfast blues again”. Track six is “Unhinged” and it is electric! From the opening guitar on this tune, I thought of Robin Trower (which is some pretty great company). Dom Martin demonstrates his ability to rock with the best on this cut. “Lefty 2 Guns” is a slow, smokey blues tune about a character named Lefty 2 Guns and he sounds like one bad hombre. “Hell For You, Mercy” is the next to the last song on Buried Alive and is a dark sounding piece with an almost classical introduction. “Hell For You” eventually morphs into “Mercy” and I have read where Dom Martin hopes that “Mercy” will show his support for all of those who are alone and lonely in these troubling times.
It is pretty obvious from listening to Buried Alive that Dom Martin is a talented and skilled guitarist and songwriter. He performs his songs in a live setting with honest, raw emotion. It is no wonder that he has received the awards and recognition that he has, so far, in his career. I believe that his fan base will continue to steadily grow as he continues to offer up great music and perform in person to live audiences (he is set to be out on the road again, beginning in January of 2025). We can all look forward to what the future holds for Dom Martin and what he’ll be sharing with all of us who love blues music.
The Review: 9.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Daylight I Will Find
– Howlin’
– Belfast Blues
– Unhinged
– Lefty 2 Guns
– Hell For You, Mercy
The Big Hit
– Unhinged
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