DEB RYDER
LET IT RAIN
BEJEB RECORDS BEJ 109
THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS–CAN’T GO BACK AGAIN–YOU WON’T BE TRUE–GUILTY AS SIN–CRY ANOTHER TEAR–HOLD YOUR LAMP HIGH–MONEY MONSOON–KISS AND DREAM–LET IT RAIN–MA MISERE–ROUND AND AROUND
For her second album, “Let It Rain,” on the Bejeb label, Deb Ryder has surrounded her powerful voice with an A-list of players and an insightful set of blues originals that run from Chicago thru the Delta and on down to New Orleans. She’s been exposed to all types of music throughout her life, and she’s really at ease with this varied material.
Leading off is Deb’s message to her lover that “you can run but you can’t hide, and That’s Just How It Is.” Eli Fletcher is on guitar, and Mike Finnigan adds the B-3. Deb gets downright sanctified on the gospel-inflected shout-out to a cheatin’ ex, saying “it’ll be a cold day in Hell before I Cry Another Tear over you!” She calls out a few more two-timers, on the horn-driven jump blues of “You Won’t Be True,” and a dark, brooding look at “the other woman,” “Guilty As Sin.” This one has fine harp from Kim Wilson. “Money Monsoon” is something we could all use, and it jumps, jives, and wails all over the place, while Deb shows her “torchy” side, over Mike’s piano and Lon Price’s sax, on the wistful “Kiss And Dream.”
The set closes with our favorites. With Albert Lee on guitar and David Fraser on accordion, Deb swings some second-line sass on another tale of “puttin’ you out of my misery,” aptly-titled “Ma Misere.” Johnny Lee Schell’s acoustic guitar and Kim Wilson’s countrified harp take us all down to the Delta as Deb sings of life being too short to go “Round And Around” over trivial matters.
Deb Ryder has turned in quite an eclectic set of tunes on “Let It Rain.” She continues to mature as a performer and composer, and blues fans everywhere are the winners! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.
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