Debra and her band are veterans of the Metropolitan music scene, but this past Friday was her first visit to Reckless Steamy Nights, and for all involved, it was a special night. She arrived with her band Kevin Jones on bass, John Roccesano on drums, and joining them for this show was Brian Rigby on keyboards. Besides playing guitar and singing, Debra is an author, having penned The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu, which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Outstanding Book on Music. Having read it, I learned much about the language of the blues and heartily recommend it.
Getting back to the music, the night’s fare was a mixture of her originals and some well chosen covers that made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The original composition “Home Again,” was done first and gave us a taste of not only the fine musicianship of the band but they’re spot on harmonies. Being a storyteller, Debra began the B.B. King classic, “The Thrill is Gone,” with a spoken word intro as Brian caressed the keys. This led into a dynamic interpretation of the song. For the original, “Get Free,” she informed the crowd that it was inspired by two blues greats, Son Seals and Koko Taylor. Her song, “All That I Need (I Get From You)” was a fine mid-tempo rocker that got the message across. She then picked up the acoustic guitar for her song, “10 Miles to Clarksdale,” which was a great choice, as a group of JSJBF members are leaving for the birthplace of the blues in two weeks. The song “Mary had A Little Lamb,” a nursery rhyme made famous in song, most notably by Stevie Ray Vaughn, was a great rave up that led into the Bonnie Raitt version of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” which really energized the crowd. Another original, not to be confused with the Kink’s song of the same name, “Tired of Waiting,” closed out the first set.
After a brief intermission, Debra returned alone with her acoustic guitar in hand and did a beautiful cover of “Louise” a Paul Siebel song made famous by one of her major influences, Bonnie Raitt. She started the original “River Road,” solo acoustic, but was joined by the band to fill out this lovely ballad. They then got their NOLA funk in high gear with a great rendition of the Meters “Cissy Strut.” Two more well received originals, “Butterfly” and “When it Comes Down,” met with enthusiastic approval from those in attendance. A cover of Neil Young’s “Needle and The Damage Done,” was a well done pleasant surprise, followed by another original, “Shine On.” The band shined on John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” which morphed into the Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree.” The night ended with her song, “The River,” a heartfelt ballad.
The band immediately left to do some gigs in Florida, but they will be back for the North Jersey Blues Society’s “Women in Blues” show Saturday night at the Stanhope House.