I picked up this CD (www.deborahcox.com) (warning: music will play) at the library last week; at first, I saw the title “Destination Moon”, and thought: Hey! A Dinah Washington CD….then I saw it was by Deborah Cox, whom I thought was more of a pop-divaesque kind of singer, and whom I had never really listened to before. So I checked the CD out, and I’ve been listening to it all week.
I love tribute albums, covers of songs, I love how a musician or singer can take someone else’s material and add a part of themselves to it. Especially when an artist chooses to re-interpret a song that has been pigeon-holed in the public’s mind in a certain category and is different from what the artist is usually associated with. Like Johnny Cash doing Hurt. Or the Pet Shop Boys doing You Were Always On My Mind.
Deborah Cox, however, I was not familiar with. I knew who she was, but that was about it. So I can’t compare what she’s done before with what she’s created on Destination Moon. But now that I’ve heard her on this CD, I’ll certainly be exploring a little more of what she’s done in the past.
I DO love jazz, and Dinah Washington is my favourite jazz singer, with a beautiful voice, never over-the-top, strong and sultry, with just enough sugar to be perfect. For me, her songs celebrate who I am as a woman. When I listen to Dinah and her knock-out voice, I get to cry about my broken heart, I get to be sad about things and move on, I can be mad & still find it in me to forgive, I get to laugh at myself, I can feel nostalgic, I get to be strong and face the music (ha!), I get to be in love and feel the rush. It’s like Dinah says to me: Hey, Chantal, I understand. Here’s a song for ya…
All music does this for me, really, and I’m sure it does the same for everyone else. But Dinah does it really well……
I have to admit that jazz didn’t come into my life until a few years ago, so I’m still in the discovery phase of it. I’m attracted to music that goes to the core of me, music that makes my own heart sing, and this CD is now one of my favourites. Deborah Cox has a great voice, the arrangements are lush and bring you to places that you might have been to already, but which are always good to go back to…..like the moon.
Love, Chantal xoxoxo
