SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DEBORAH LEDON – DIVING FOR PEARLS

Deborah Ledon
Diving For Pearls
Independent 

In her debut record, Vancouver native Deborah Ledon brings a very smooth, laid back and sensual take on adult contemporary Latin Jazz that is infused with creative arrangements, clear vocals, and strong back up from a team of skillful musicians.

Instead of littering her debut jazz record with pure Great American songbook standards, Ledon takes songs from various pop icons, some jazz classics, Latin standards and even tosses in a few originals of her own make up the record. For instance, Deborah brought a lot of freshness and uniqueness by interpreting k.d. lang’s “Constant Craving” in a Latin style; She performs Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic “I Will Survive” as a moody, romantic, yet light Latin number that was innovative and not kitschy at all; Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me” was recreated with a spicy salsa groove; and Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love” was given a moody tango backdrop that adds to the “misterioso” of Leonard Cohen’s music.

Some of the originals on the album include “Se Va Y Se Va”, “Te Estrano”, and “I Love To Love You”. With these songs it shows Ledon’s great command of the Latin idiom and language, and she is also an effective communicator of expressing her emotions through her own work.

What I appreciate in Deborah’s voice is her clear sense of diction and feeling when she sings such songs. The lyrics are treated with proper respect and she is really coming of her own as a Latin jazz stylist. The overall project would have benefited from more varied styles such as swing, but with this record and what she is trying to do she has effectively found her niche in Latin music and is willing to grow within it. Deborah’s “Diving for Pearls” is a debut full of promise, poise, and possibility for one who is willing to take creative new risks with her music.

Conrad Gayle

deborahledon.com

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