Album Review: Glitter & Grits from Deborah Silver

Album:  Glitter & Grits
Artist:  Deborah Silver
Label:  NTL Records
Website:  www.deborahsilvermusic.com

Tunes from the Great American Songbook are polished with a western swing glaze on Glitter & Grits, the new release from vocalist Deborah Silver.  Her sojourn through a rotating spectrum of classic swing, country soul, and Americana is a ride that never grows tired.

Relatable to classic country vocalists like Kitty Wells and Connie Smith, Silver's vocals sashay across the melodies with a flirty swagger that oozes sensuality, topped by a coquettish bounce.  The feline lilt in her register permeates a playful spirit in "Ballin' the Jack," a tangy duet she performs with Ray Benson. The flouncy lilt in her vocals exudes an infectious elation across "Almost Like Being in Love," enhancing the swanky ambience brimming with dollops of western swing.

Her treatment of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's timeless ditty "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" imbues a Jungle Book-style promenade with the conga-like line consisting of the perky flutter of TFloyd Domino's piano keys followed by the wavy swells of bassist Josh Hoag and drummer David Sanger as Silver's vocals lead the lively procession.  Saddled in the warm tones of her timbres, "Embraceable You" gleams a heavenly sonorous as John Mills's saxophone curls whirl around the melodic tresses.

In Deborah Silver's hands, tunes from the Great American Songbook become something majestic once again.  Coated in a western swing gloss, Glitter & Grits is a mirthful sojourn through shades of classic caroling, country soul, and Americana for a ride that never grows old.

Musicians:
Deborah Silver - vocals
TFloyd Domino – piano
David Sanger – drums
Josh Hoag – bass
Dennis Ludiker – fiddle and mandolin
Eddie Rivers – steel guitar
Ray Benson – electric guitar and vocals
Mickey Raphael – harmonica on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas”
John Mills – saxophone