When a CD lists
John Coltrane's son
Ravi Coltrane as its executive producer, one naturally assumes that it contains jazz.
Ravi Coltrane does serve as executive producer on
Grove House, but this is not a jazz album per se. Instead, what singer/songwriter
Debbie Deane offers on this memorable CD is best described as folk-rock with jazz and R&B overtones. Although
Deane isn't performing any jazz on
Grove House (which is her second album), she definitely appreciates it -- the Brooklyn resident studied jazz extensively during her days at Berklee College of Music in Boston -- and she also has a healthy appreciation of
Joni Mitchell, another folk-minded singer/songwriter who has been affected by jazz.
Mitchell was never a jazz singer in the strict sense, but jazz certainly influenced her; one of
Mitchell's '70s albums was named
Mingus (after
Charles Mingus), and
Deane obviously admires the way
Mitchell can bring jazz elements into a folk-rock setting -- which is exactly what
Deane does on
Mitchell-influenced tracks such as "Yesterday" (not to be confused with
the Beatles' classic), "Slow It Down," "Sailor Song," and "Down, Down, Down." But
Deane doesn't actually emulate
Mitchell any more than she emulates
Roberta Flack, who has also influenced
Deane either directly or indirectly. Although
Flack is known primarily as an R&B/pop singer, some of her early hits were definitely influenced by folk -- most notably "Killing Me Softly" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" -- and
Deane often brings to mind that side of
Flack. Nonetheless,
Deane always sounds like her own person on this fine sophomore effort. ~ Alex Henderson