Debra DeSalvo - Hoboken Demo

Written by SkinnyDevil on Tuesday, 16 August 2005 14:48

Debra DeSalvo has done it again! Her 2003 release, "Electric Goddess" (True Nation), was hands down one of the best rock-n-roll records of the year (read the full review HERE). Now she has followed up with a 3 song offering, "Hoboken Demo", that is full of both the expected top-shelf rock and several surprises. "Welcome to the Boneyard" is a mellow but ballsy way to open the collection, featuring lamenting vocals that are refreshingly free of therapy-rock trappings. From jangly strummed chords and a loose rhythm (perfectly provided by John Hummel and Duke) to a beautiful lone voice and a guitar solo that just drips "cool", "Boneyard" is a fabulous opener.

"All That I Need" mixes laid back verses with a pounding & up-lifting chorus, excellent vocal harmonies, and clean but powerful guitar work. Duke's bass work is incredible on this one, mixing straight ahead low-end support and interesting melodic lines. Hummel also punches forward with some excellent work on the skins.

"When It Comes Down" is the final track, and the only song on which Debra really flexes her guitar muscles. Switching seamlessly between clean and distorted sounds, Deb builds the tension and then hits you with some great vocal harmonies in the chorus. The guitar reaches new heights near the end when she breaks into the solo - with cool volume swells and just a hint of feedback, she traces out cool melodic passages, throws in some blues-rock licks, and fades with some real mood runs.

Overall, "Hoboken Demo" is less frenetic and shines on Debra's mellow side more than "Electric Goodess", allowing us a longer view of the side of Deb that wrote "Get Free" from the "Goddess" CD. This one rates a 10 on the "Must Have" meter.

Available soon on CD, you can sample the music on Deb's web-site NOW.

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