DEENA GOODMAN: Hard To Get To

Deena Goodman

Hard To Get To

© 2005 Deena Goodman (680147112523)

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Blues/Pop/Rock/70's

notes

Singer Deena Goodman is a natural redhead, both passionate and fierce, organic and soulful. With a sultry, R&B-tinged voice that gently wraps around lyrics and fits snugly into the curves of warm melodies, Goodman is a musician whose talent effortlessly soars above that of her peers. Infused with honey-coated pop hooks that gently affix themselves to your memory,

Goodmans sound is subtly complex, combining soul, jazz, blues and rock. Slide her album into your stereo, and you will understand from the moment you hear the first notes, that the motivation to make music is etched into every corner of this singers soul. "Its just a natural inclination for me to want to do this," she says. "I always felt music was the natural route I was going to take."

Still, Goodman, who spent her four university years at New York Universitys prestigious Tisch school, nearly had the course of her life altered when, the morning after her graduation, she woke up unable to speak. The singer, who called music her lifeblood because its what Im the best at, and said theres nothing I could have done if I couldnt sing was forced to reconsider her path. The nodules her doctor found on her throat would have devastated any other aspiring musician. For Goodman, however, they were ultimately the painful force that drove her to pursue her dream with even more vigor. As she began to go through therapy to heal her vocal chords, Goodman sought out a lawyer and a producer to help her pursue her dream.

The album that ultimately emerged from her efforts is best described as soul rock with a Seventies edge. With influences ranging from Janis Joplins deep, raw and passionate voice, to the effortless melodic intonations in the voices of Carole King and Bonnie Raitt, Goodmans debut album is unlike anything being tossed onto shelves by other young female vocalists. Hard to Get To, the opening track, begins slowly before erupting into the chorus with lyrics that introduce Goodman as a woman whose strength emerges from her vulnerability: "Send him my best regards / Tell him that love, it wasnt in the cards / Im sorry if that sounds cruel." Sometimes, addresses the lover that cant commit, but instead of wallowing in sadness, it finds the singer working through the dilemma of wanting to leave that person, while finding herself falling back into old patterns: "I want more but Ive had enough / face down and I cant get out of this / I must have fallen too hard." Each track on the five-song debut has its own personality. Walking All Over is the most instrumentally serene track, while Too Damaged to Care, the catchy, hook-laden rock track brings the energy back up. Your Rock, which Goodman co-wrote with SPIN DOCTORS lead singer CHRIS BARON, is a sunny song that shines with Barrons backing vocals. Mike Shimshack, who guided Goodman from the outset, helping her find the way she wanted to write songs, and the sound she wanted to pursue, produced the album. Songwriter JEFF COHEN (EVAN AND JARON, BIG AND RICH) contributed to the albums seventies soul vibe, co-writing Too Damaged to Care.

Goodman, who wanted the instrumentation on the album to be a strong aspect of its appeal, worked with ANDY HESS on bass (GOVERNMENT MULE, BLACK CROWES), NIR Z on drums (JOHN MAYER), BILLY STEIN on keys (BOY GEORGE), and DUKE LEVINE on guitar (MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER).

Live, Goodman shines with infectious energy, striving to make eye contact with each person in the audience. "My artistic energy emerges when I play live," she says. "I dont feel more at home anywhere than when Im up there," she says with a bubbling excitement that makes you understand and feel her innate drive. "And thats not cheesy, she adds. Thats the damn truth"

reviews

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  • EP has something for everyone
    author: Ric Smith

    If you like music, you'll love this CD. Truly crosses all borders of genres'. Awesome singing ability with a great band backing her.

  • Awesome CD
    author: Denise Turner

    Love the CD, really awesome, Highly recommend it to all girls that love girls music.

  • deena goodman is in a class by herself
    author: marlena hartkorn

    just bought this cd and love it! every song is great! i especially love the song "sometimes" i know alot of women who can relate to this song. because of this cd, i am now a deena goodman fan for life!

  • Amazing! Deena captures so many real emotions through her songs!
    author: Viki Bonett

    I could listen to the song "Sometimes" on repeat for an entire day. Deena captures, like no other artist has, what it is like to date someone who you know is bad for you, and yet you can't get enough of. All of the songs on this album speak in similar ways to so many different aspects of life, that I know Deena wrote these from her soul. Buy this cd for everyone you know, and be sure to tell your best friend "I'll be your rock!"

  • author: Joshua Altman

    Wow, what an awesome album. After hearing it, I headed to one of Deena's shows..Deena is a mesmorizing force when she is on stage. She makes a crowd erupt with emotion. I was impressed and have seen her 3 times since..

  • One of the most enjoyable listens to show up in my mailbox this year.
    author:  Jason Warburg @ Daily Vault

    HARD TO GET TO Deena Goodman Independent Release, 2004 Review by: Jason Warburg Originally published: March 18, 2005 Some days this job just makes you shake your head. As in, what      is the world coming to when as unmistakable a talent as Deena Goodman is self-publishing EPs instead of having her face plastered across a billboard high above Sunset Boulevard?   Maybe it's the whole Britney influence. After all, Goodman looks      less like the oversexed, underdressed skanks that "moral values"-minded      Middle America continues to worship than the quietly intelligent young lady     you might expect to find running the counter at Kinko's until she moves on   to bigger things.   Don't be fooled by the shy-girl-in-the-corner album cover, though.    Deena Goodman is without a doubt the best female blues singer I've heard since      I picked up my first Susan Tedeschi disc. She's a singer-songwriter who has      chosen a genre and not just gotten comfortable in it, but made it her own.      And while Hard To Get To only offers five songs, it already rates as      one of the most enjoyable listens to show up in my mailbox this year.   The arrangements feature easy-glide blues guitar over organ      and electric piano in support of Goodman's rangy, consistently appealing vocals.      Opener "Hard To Get To" is a good example of how she folds and twists      the basic blues framework to fit her intentions, featuring a very contemporary,      self-aware lyric while layering a lilting blues-rock melody over a chorus      that begs the listener for a sing-along.   The second cut, "Sometimes," is the one that really      blew me away, though. How many Britney lookalikes could write a song with      the steely self-awareness of a Bonnie Raitt confessional and the clever wordplay      of a Top Ten country single, and then sing it with the straight-from-the-gut      passion of a young Tina Turner? No, really, it's that impressive.   The other three songs here -- "Walking All Over,"      "Too Damaged To Care" and "Your Rock" (the latter co-written      by Spin Doctors vocalist Chris Barron) -- all shine in their own ways as they      move through a series of steady, appealing grooves. All five cuts are co-written      by Goodman and producer Mike Shimshack, and feature right-on-the-money instrumental      support from a crack studio team that includes Andy Hess (Gov't Mule), Nir      Z (John Mayer), Billy Stein (Boy George) and Duke Levine (Mary Chapin Carpenter).      Stein's fluid organ work and Levine's nimble, expressive guitar rate special    notice.   What brought this all-star team together is obvious -- they      know talent when they hear it. Deena Goodman is a major find who's just waiting      for the world to wake up to her. Consider this your alarm clock buzzing.   RATING: A-  

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