December 1, 2006

Dec 06/Jan 07 issue # 127

Review of The Blue Pearl

She sings like Janis Joplin without the real rasp, and her band is as tight as any of the better blues ensembles. Deb Callahan is a fabulous Philadelphian who is enjoying growing regional success. Her sophmore outing, The Blue Pearl will undoubtedly be her breakout release, bringing her fame from sea to shining sea. While her voice will melt the cubes in any on-the-rocks cocktail as she covers Paul Butterfield’s “Lovin Cup”, she can easily apply her honey-coated pipes to the folk side of things in “Benny’s Song,” a sad and sweet reminiscence that Callahan turns into a sonic canvas a-swirl with striking images. In the end, it’s her songwriting that makes the difference. Blues nuggests like “Blue Pearl Moon,” “Livin Loud” and “Bull in a China Shop” all written with Chris Arms, manage to sound simultanously contemporary and classic, and they are the stuff that will stand the test of time. (EG)