Deborah coleman

Deborah coleman

"where Blue begins"

Blind Pig BPcD-5048#

Deborah definitely rocks! And its great to hear lyrics written from a woman’s point of view (all but four of these 11 cuts are written by her). As she said in her December, 1997 Blues Revue interview, her major romances have been of the up-and-down variety. can we all relate? In addition to the blues, her rock n’ roll influences come through loud and clear on this second major effort: Joe cocker, Jimi Hendrix, cream, Led Zeppelin.

Love Moves Me is a great beginning showcase for this group. Deborah’s deep, sultry voice and boppy guitar are complemented by Mike Vlahakis on keyboards, John Lundberg on bass and Robb Stupka on drums. The Dream is a slow, plaintive ballad. You can feel the disappointment in her gut wrenching playing. Mike Vlahakis keyboards are a wondrous complement. She starts Walk Your Walk with an airy touch, teasingly weaving licks among the other instruments. Her voice has a strong guttural feel here and the twangy guitar solos have me up and doin’ my own slow solo swing. Robb Stupka on drums and John Lundberg on bass keep a steady and sensual rhythm. They Raided the Joint is a fun swing blues. Vlahakis’ work on the ivories seriously hops. Deborah’s deep voice takes on a soft tone and the guitar is controlled and mellow at first. Then she takes off sawing the hell out of that thing. The rhythm section is walkin’ and talkin’.

Goodbye Misery is a fast rockin’ and happy tribute to correcting the mistake of picking a bad lover. Her solos in every cut are strong and energetic, and especially on this one. Robb Stupka’s drums are clean, measured and right where they need to be. If you like to feel your body move this’ll have you up and hoppin’. Hain’t It Funny is a slow, sultry piece. The aching guitar speaks volumes to the complacency of relationships, often leading to their demise. And then the relief of the end - aahh that silver lining. A surprise cut that most middle aged American bipeds can relate to. She’s playing to my bone marrow on On The Hunt.

This lady’s lusty, gruff voice gives Travelin’ South a sad tinge of life on the road. Her strong, rockin’ guitar work makes me wanna see those calluses. Lundberg’s bass rocks my bones on this one. Awright! The cats are hoping I don’t stomp on them. Nobody To Blame is one of the four cuts not written by Deborah. James Solberg wrote and rips on lead guitar joined by Joanna connor on slide and Ollie Bolds on vocals. This has a raw sinister undercurrent - I like it!

There’s not a bad cut on this cD. If you liked I can’t Lose you’ll love where Blue begins.

MER

See Deborah at: 11/5 Pleasure Island (Orlando); 11/6 Riverwalk Blues Fest (Ft. Lauderdale); 11/7 Gatorz (Brandon); 11/8 Blues Ship (Ybor city); 11/15 Mr. Pub (Ocala)