Published on Jun 10, 2003
Let’s get something straight from the beginning; Deborah Vial
has a set of pipes that could be used to channel jet fuel. The
woman can belt her heart out in a rich, throaty cry, and then turn
around and purr like an alleycat outside a Paris bistro. In short,
she can sing.
Reminiscent of Taylor Dayne with better songwriting or Laura
Branigan with soul, Vial tears through the tracks on her latest CD,
Cooler Heart. A longtime veteran of touring and performing
(her website lists some pretty surreal acts she’s opened for or
played with — I didn’t even know Gino Vanelli was still sentient),
Vial has been a staple of the women’s music scene in Texas for some
years. With
Cooler Heart, she’s finally getting some nationwide
distribution. Frankly, this is a cool thing. Vial has some real
talent.
While Vial is openly gay, don’t make the mistake of hanging a
label on her; that’d be as much of a mistake as hanging a genre
label on her. While a good deal of her music is dance-based, she
can drop into a soulful ballad or a techno groove without breaking
a sweat. (What’s interesting is that most music guides on-line list
her as jazz. No, no, I wouldn’t say this is jazz. Not at all.) The
musicianship is competent without being terribly intrusive, and
that’s as it should be; the focus here is really Vial’s flexible,
expressive, and powerful vocals. Indeed, where
Cooler Heart drags is towards the end; a couple of remixes,
while different from the originals, muddy up things to the point
where the vocals are lost. This is a minor quibble, though; for
most of the CD, Vial’s at full throttle and a delight to listen
to.
Tracks of note include the opening “Crawl,” a throaty, intense
ultimatum to a lover that’s both enticing and forbidding; the soft,
wistful “Save Me”; the intense “Cooler Heart”; and the highlight of
the disc, the torchy, incandescent “Little Crimes.”
Fans of damn good female vocal pop shouldn’t miss this brilliant
CD.
Cooler Heart will set your speakers on fire.
To find out more about Deborah Vial or how to order
Cooler Heart, check
here.