Deborah Coleman - Stop The Game (2007)

Deborah Coleman is one of the hardest working artists in the roots music business-constant touring, promotional work and recording projects, all done with an energy, enthusiasm and gusto that marks her out as a winner. But that would be nothing if she wasn't also seriously talented. As you will hear on this album she is a great songwriter, a unique and distinctive singer and one of the best guitarists on the planet. I remember inviting Deborah to make an album for me nearly 15 years ago now, but that was in the days when there were people in the game who believed there was gold to be mined in this indie blues label game and were splashing the cash about. But what is meant to be happens in the end and here we are with a wonderful album - contemporary, relevant and high energy but also with the 'realness' of the old time stuff. Check out the sheer catchiness of the instrumental Motor City II, the telling personal lyrics to Stop The Game and Zero, the absolute amount of inventiveness of the guitar everywhere, the soulful passion of the singing and the willingness to interweave rock elements with timeless blues and dashes of funk. Seven of the compositions are Deborah's own and I Got To Know comes from the prolific pen of Jimmy Morello who produced and wrote material for a slew of West Coast-produced JSP albums in the nineties and Everlastin' Tears and Long Time were written by and recorded by Willie Edwards for his legendary JSP album - probably one of the very best albums of the last 30 years and also one of our worst ever sellers by far (which can still be rectified of course...). But this is Deborah's story, one with many chapters still to go.