EP — ♫ Scat N Style ♫

Good morning,

Mr. Warnock describes Albumette as an EP that spans different genres, something of interest to all audiences. Read more, below.

Artist: Deborah E
Album: Albumette
Review by Matthew Warnock

Becoming a great jazz or blues singer takes long hours in smoky clubs, years listening and learning from the greats, and a hefty dose of natural talent to build from. Vocalist Deborah E is an artist that has all of the above and more, all of which shine through on her EP Albumette. Floating between jazz and blues, taking the best of both worlds and blending them in a unique and highly personalized way, the talented singer gives a world class performance on this 5 song record, giving listeners a taste of her musical palette and leaving them wanting more after the final notes have drifted away. Albumette is exactly what an EP should be. It provides a diverse glimpse of what the artist can do without giving too much away, and intriguing the audience enough to check out more material. On both fronts Deborah and the album are successful.

As a vocalist, Deborah possesses a strong instrument, but even more importantly, she is able to inject her personality into each note and phrase. It’s never enough to just be able to sing in tune to be successful and Deborah knows this. She knows when to growl and when to soar, when to get quiet and when to peak the faders, just when one thinks they know what is coming next, she brings a new vocal timbre to the mix, increasing the intensity and audience engagement at the same time. In a day and age when many singers are manufactured in board rooms and get signed without ever having sung on a gig, Deborah is a breath of fresh air. Her sultry vocal style, coupled with a high level of musicianship, leave the impression that she has honed her craft by hitting the bandstand night after night. She sings from the heart, and immediately connects with the audience on a deep level, two reasons that the EP comes across as well as it does.

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Floating between jazz and blues, taking the best of both worlds and blending them in a unique and highly personalized way, the talented singer gives a world class performance on this 5 song record, giving listeners a taste of her musical palette and leaving them wanting more after the final notes have drifted away.
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The arrangements and backing band are also very strong throughout. From the jazzy piano and guitar on top of string pads on “Perfectly Wonderful World” to the groovin’, bluesy sax lines on “Just Say When,” the band is in fine form and compliment Deborah’s vocals on each track, never becoming overbearing or too busy as they weave in between the singer’s phrases and lyrics. It is obvious that these guys can really play, and it would have been very easy for them to try and show off their skilled chops when given the chance. Each player prefers to focus on the emotional quality of their licks in situations where others might have gone straight to blistering chops instead. By doing so, they not only accentuate their musicianship, but they provide a solid backing for the vocals that comes across and an accompaniment and not competition for the limelight, as is too often the case.

Deborah E really brings her A game to Albumette, and the result is an EP that leaves listener’s ears satisfied and wanting more from the talented performer. With a little bit of everything, from jazz to blues to pop, on the record, fans of any or all of these genres will find something to enjoy, something that is hard to do with any recording. Though it is only 5 songs long, and even if it provokes anticipation of what is to come from Deborah and her group, this EP is definitely worth checking out as it stands out on its own as a work of artistic merit.

Review by Matthew Warnock

Deborah E

Deborah E is a smooth and sultry summer night on Bourbon Street… Classy with a dash of sass… Proof that the jazz greats have not been sacrificed to processed pop. ladyD.info. For more information, including other blogs, visit her main site at deborah.info.

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Good morning,

Mr. Henderson explained my musical influences so well. Does he know me better than I know myself? Thanks for checking out this Albumette Review.

Artist: Deborah E
Album: Albumette
Review by Alex Henderson

Music has certainly had its share of generation gaps over the years. Just as there were members of the World War I Generation who didn’t understand the traditional pop crooners of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and members of the World War II Generation who never cared for rock & roll or funk, there are aging Baby Boomers who will never comprehend what members of Generation X and Generation Y see in hip-hop or alternative metal. But some artists make a point of looking to different generations for creative inspiration; for example, Nellie McKay and Norah Jones are two very different adult alternative singer/songwriters who have jazz and traditional pop influences as well as pop-rock and soul. On her five-song EP, Albumette, Los Angeles-based vocalist Deborah E leaves no doubt that more than one generation has affected her in a positive way. This is a recording that has one foot in swing, jazz-influenced traditional pop and jump blues and the other in pop-rock, soul and adult alternative, but Deborah never sounds confused or unfocused. In fact, she makes it sound perfectly natural for someone who has been influenced by Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald to also be cognizant of a rock & roll/R&B; era. Deborah’s bio states that when she was growing up, she would watch Rosemary Clooney and Doris Day musicals one minute and “Soul Train” the next. Albumette bears that out.

This is a recording that has one foot in swing, jazz-influenced traditional pop and jump blues and the other in pop-rock, soul and adult alternative, but Deborah never sounds confused or unfocused. In fact, she makes it sound perfectly natural for someone who has been influenced by Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald to also be cognizant of a rock & roll/R&B; era.

This EP gets off to a very bluesy and jazz-influenced start with a sultry performance of the old Paul Francis Webster/Sonny Burke standard “Black Coffee,” which goes back to the late 1940s and has been recorded by countless artists over the years. Lee’s influence is quite strong on “Black Coffee” (a song she recorded in the early 1950s), and the impact of the World War II Generation is equally evident on the playful, swinging “Just Say When” (which has a jump blues-ish energy). But again, Albumette is not a carbon copy of World War II generation music even though it gets a great deal of inspiration from that era. Deborah embraces one of the quintessential Baby Boomer classics when she performs “Killing Me Softly,” which was a major hit for Roberta Flack in 1973 and also became a big hit for the Fugees (with Lauryn Hill singing lead) 23 years later in 1996.

Flack, it should be noted, was a unique figure in 1970s music in that she managed to bridge the gap between the R&B; world and the world of folk-rock, soft rock and singer/songwriters. Flack appealed to Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Judy Collins fans as well as to Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight fans. And the blend of soul and folk-rock/soft rock that she favored on “Killing Me Softly” made her recording so definitive that it is pointless for anyone to try to emulate it. The Fugees, wisely, took the gem in a hip-hop-influenced neo-soul direction rather than trying to emulate Flack’s recording, and Deborah is also smart enough to put her own personal spin on “Killing Me Softly.” Deborah’s version has R&B; and pop-rock appeal, but it is also enjoyably jazzy. “Killing Me Softly” works well for Deborah because she sounds like herself instead of trying to sound like Roberta Flack.

Deborah has an introspective side as well as a fun side; “Black Coffee,” “Killing Me Softly” and “Perfectly Wonderful World” are examples of her introspective side, whereas her fun side asserts itself on “Just Say When” and “Only Temporary” (another track with a jump blues-like appeal). Easily the EP’s most humorous offering, “Only Temporary,” puts a positive spin on some negative things (including a bad job and a disappointing boyfriend) by concluding that they are, in fact, only temporary.

As strong as the jazz influence is on Albumette, those who are seriously into jazz will realize that Deborah isn’t a jazz purist or a straight-ahead bebopper. In other words, she doesn’t scat-sing her way through Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology” or Thelonious Monk’s “Well, You Needn’t.” Deborah is a very different type of singer from, say, Kitty Margolis or Judy Niemack; that isn’t where she is coming from on this EP. Rather, Albumette’s strength lies in the L.A. resident’s ability to take elements of jazz, pop-rock, soul and blues and bring them together in an appealing, meaningful way. And her appreciation of different styles from different generations serves her well on the consistently enjoyable Albumette.

Review by Alex Henderson

‘Til Next Time,
-Deborah E
Jazz Singer
♫ Scat N Style ♫
deborah.info