Album Notes

On her new cd, ÔHome,Õ Deb Pasternak presents a smorgasbord of lyrical reflections and musical textures. Pasternak takes common feelings - hope for the future, acceptance of the past, embracing of the present - and creates a cultural and emotional landscape where they - as strength and weakness - become beautiful. This is all done in the context of well crafted songs and the inspired playing of the musicians on the cd.

Pasternak's music mirrors the experience of modern life, and her attitude makes no apologies for honesty or risk - a relief amidst the music industry's obsession with vacuous safe music. "Home" contains the requisite Pasternak genre skipping - traveling from a 40's style jazz ballad to a fullout grungerock delivery and many places between. Pasternak pulls it off - her conversational alto moving from ardent earnest testimonial to ironic self parody to smoldering languid dismay.

In recording "Home," Pasternak invited her live band into the studio for three days - then taught them the eleven songs there on the spot - and the resulting arrangements are energetic, fresh and spare. Although many of the songs do have overdubs - backing vocals on the three "singles," - 'Home', 'The Race' and 'The Road', most of what you hear - from Deb's vocals to all of Tom West's keys are the original session tracks. What is amazing about the band on this album is their versatility - going from a 40's jazz ballad 'No Need to Venture Outside' to the reckless rock of 'The Road.'

"Home" is produced by Chris Rival (Tarbox Ramblers, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Duke Levine) and features Rival also on guitar, Richard Gates (Jonatha Brooke, Suzanne Vega) on bass, Tom West (Suzanne Tedeschi, Peter Wolf) on keys, and Brian Rothwell on drums with other appearances by Tony Sumbery on bass and Kevin Barry on guitar. The collaborative voices of these versatile players is in large part of what brings this cd its wide range of styles and powerful performances.