Central Washington-based self-described groove, rock, reggae trio Dimestore Prophets seems to be dedicated to bringing to their listeners music they dub as “feel good” since 2009. In April of this year, guitar player and vocalist Ray Glover, drummer John Wilson, and bassist Eric Groff released their EP Be Yourself in which they explain they brought together influences ranging from Bob Marley to Sublime, the Clash to the Dirty Heads.

The opening track “Be Yourself” is a guitar- and drum-driven track that could pass as an older and more mature of what Hanson might have sounded like. The cheerful feel of the track resides in its upbeat tempo, simple melody, enthusiastic vocals, and the guitar variations which include mid-track plucking. In the still-upbeat follow-up, “Hey Darlin’”, one gets a sense of the reggae influence by the way the guitar carries the main beat of the song. Things slow down somewhat in “Our Story”, an almost anthemic, hopeful track that would do well on a soft rock radio station. The more upbeat “Good Lovin’” would also do well on such a radio station, but might also fit on a country rock one. “Draw For Love” has a slow tempo, rock feel in all of its elements—topic, vocals, guitar, and drums—and would make a potentially suitable addition to the soundtrack of the television show Supernatural. The EP closes on the track “Sunny Day” which has the heaviest reggae influence, but it’s still a rock song that leaves a good taste in a listener’s ears, thus fulfilling the band’s promise of Be Yourself being a feel good EP.

Because Dimestore Prophets describe themselves as a groove, rock, and reggae band, I was a little surprised at the contents of the album. Perhaps dropping the “reggae” moniker would better prepare listeners’ expectations for the style of the EP, making for a better experience. But other than that, this is an EP that would make soft rock lovers happy. More information about the band is available on their website. Their songs can be streamed on SoundCloud.

Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.

First published here on Blogcritics.