Customer Reviews

Livin on Love

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I THOUGH THAT DEBORAH COULDNT TOP HER LAST CD 'SOFT PLACE TO FALL",BUT ON HER NEW CD SHE SINGS AND PLAYS HER BEST. TO MY SURPRISE JIMMY THACKERY PLAYS ON THREE CUTS. MOST OF THE SONGS ARE ORIGINALS EXCEPT FOR A GREAT VERSION OF 'bending like a willow tree" WRITTEN BY LOWELL FULSON. THIS CD SHOULD PUT HER AT THE TOP ARE NEAR OF GREAT BLUES ARTISTS MALE OR FEMALE.

I agree that Deborah Coleman should be getting more recognition than she has. She's a wonderful musician with a distinctive voice. And the arrangements on this album are quite good. For that, she gets five stars.

But when it comes to original lyrics, she has a major deficit. Most of the songs suffer from a surfeit of cliches and hackneyed ideas. The opening lines of Crazy, for example ("You say yes, I say no/You say stop, I say go"), were lifted from Lennon and McCartney, who used them as parody. No parody here. No surprises, either.

There are about 6 excellent songs here. LIVIN' ON LOVE is the best selection, a rock tune. MEMORY LANE is a good easy listening ballad. Crazy is excellent, with a very catchy rock n' roll beat. BENDING LIKE A WILLOW TREE is an excellent progressive blues song. HAPPY WHEN YOU'RE UNHAPPY is a good number. So is TORN IN TWO. Other songs are probably good, but I can't remember them. Debra, along with the other Debbie--Debbie Davies-- may be the best pop artists you will ever hear. I am thinking about their CDs, since I have not seen them live. CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE TWO DEBBIES!!

You should see this girl live! I saw her in Charlottesville, VA, and she tore the place up. She is hot.

Deborah Coleman is quickly starting to become my favorite blues artist, man or woman. She's got an incredible amount of talent. She completes the trifecta of being a first class singer, songwriter, and musician. I could listen to this blues diva sing all day, but it's her songwriting that's really getting stronger on every album. Although a few of the songs here were written by other artists, most notably the Lowell Fusion tune BENDING LIKE A WILLOW TREE, It's her own compositions that are the best here. Especially the bouncy tune "CRAZY" in which Coleman shows us some unique string picking techniques. She slows it down with "MEMORY LANE". This song really has a way of sticking in the subconscious long after it's over. Her voice really has a lot of staying power. Especially on slow songs like this. Other favorites: "YOU'RE WITH ME" which has a cool mid-tempo beat and some subtle but very tasty guitar lines. She really pulls out all the stops on "HAPPY WHEN YOU'RE UNHAPPY", which features some of her most fierce guitar soloing. She's also backed by the great Jimmy Thackery here. The albums ends with "DESERTED HIGHWAY". A slower tune much in the vein of "MEMORY LANE", except this time it's her slow and tasty guitar work that is so memorable. Besides Jimmy Thackery backing her on 3 tunes, she also has a good and tight rhythm section backing her up. This album is first class all the way. I think it's an even better and more consistant album than her last one "Soft Place To Fall", which I didn't think she could top. This lady's definitly got it goin' on.

There's talent here, and Deborah will emerge as a favorite in time to come. Her approach to blues is fresh, and her voice stays with you after the music is gone. I found it sophmoric that almost every song had to start with a drum "riff", sorta like you see with a pickup band. That detracted from my enjoyment of Deborah's otherwise kick-butt performance. Looking forward to her next release....

I BECAME A FAN AFTER LISTENING TO HER ON THE 'VARIOUS ARTISTS' TRIBUTE TO DYLAN. HER TRACK (TEMPORY LIKE ACHILLES) IS ONE OF A KIND AMID 11 OTHER GREAT BLUES ARTISTS. ALL THE OTHER TUNES KEEP SPINNING AROUND IN THE SUB-CONSCIENCE, BUT HER'S ALWAYS RISES TO THE TOP. ITS THE FIRST ONE I GO TO WHEN I POP THE CD IN.

I will keep it brief. She is a fantastic blues artist with a truly refreshing and honest approach to he music. She should be getting the recognition that somehow always seems to find young white "wunderkind" from the sticks. It is truly amazing how many truly talented Blues artists get overlooked beacuse they are not young and white. But anyone familiar with the history of the American music business knows about it's racist past and how race has always played a role in record company decisions. Even today you can still see it. It is a lot slicker today than it used to be. Even black record company executives are doing it. It appears that the common denominator what demographic has the most disposable income? How many ways can they niche market to the same demographic? How many different ways can you market profane lyrics with violent content and no redeeming virtue.

I vote Deborah Coleman as one of the most overlooked and ignored of the recent crop of Blues musicians. SHe puts on one fantastic show. I suppose that is why Gibson is using her as a sponsor for their fantastic equipment.