Reviews

The Doctor Reviews Debora Galan’s – “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

Written by Doc Hardy, Host of “Jazz on Ice” on WKBS Radio, Stratford, CT

The word reimagine means to reinterpret a work of art imaginatively or to rethink it in a different way. The word aptly applies to Producer Allan Phillips’ and Vocalist Debora Galan’s latest collaboration, the reimagination of the song “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” The original lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and original music composed by Michel Legrand for the 1969 film, “The Happy Ending”. The song has been covered by such legendary vocalists as Della Reese, Dusty Springfield, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, Abby Lincoln, Sting featuring Chris Botti and most notably, Barbara Streisand, to whom I have compared Ms. Galan, in past reviews about her recordings I have been privileged to write. It was a bold undertaking by Ms. Galan, and she approached it with the creativity and ingenuity she has displayed throughout her recording career.

As is my practice in reviewing a cover of any classic song, I listened closely to all of the various interpretations and then compared them to Ms. Galan’s recording. I listened through speakers, studio headphones, earbuds and even my iPhone speakers and was pleasantly surprised by the richness and fullness of the overall production. Ms. Galan’s vocals are fluid, crisp and pleasant as always. She infused a vibrant, soulful, Latin Jazz flavor into this song, breathing new life into it. Her Latin origins, her passion, and her vocal range shine throughout, providing an authentic Latin Jazz listening experience. I once wrote, “Debora Galan is one part Barbara Streisand, one part Sade and two parts Debora Galan.” Her performance on this recording reinforces and solidifies my viewpoint.

While previous arrangements of this song often feature piano, strings or acoustic guitar, the entire musical DNA of this recording was transformed and elevated by the masterful guitar skills of Ms. Galan’s favorite flamenco guitarist, Jose Carlos Gomez of Algeciras, Spain. Gomez, an accomplished composer and recording artist himself, blends flamenco techniques and rhythms with jazz chord sequences to produce a beautiful flamenco sound that transforms this “cover song” into something very different amazing. I closed my eyes while listening, and I could picture the Andalusian Roma (Gypsies) of southern Spain performing the highly expressive, flamenco dance, with their hand clapping, percussive footwork and intricate hand, arm, and body movements. Moving in time with beautiful voice of Ms. Galan and lively guitar play of Mr. Gomez.

Flamenco music seems to parallel jazz as an improvisational art form that is influenced by the many cultures of the musicians who perform it. It is spontaneous and emotional like jazz. But the driving rhythms make it stand apart from jazz and when blended with a jazz vibe, creates a beautiful tapestry of sound. Notable musicians creating this vibe with Ms. Galan and Mr. Gomez on this single include: Tiki Pasillas of Arturo Sandoval, on drums, Nathan Brown on bass, Derek Cannon on Trumpet, John Rekevics on tenor sax and Jordan Marita on trombone. Producer Allan Phillips performs on keys, percussion, and background vocals.

I had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Galan back in in 2018 on my radio show, “Jazz on Ice – The Sunday Brunch” on WNLK in Norwalk, CT. She has always prided herself in doing her own thing musically. Her debut recording, “All About Love” was unique in that it only had original tunes. She said during that interview, “I wanted to be different, by not having cover tunes.” When she told me that her new single was going to be a cover of classic song, I couldn’t wait to hear it because I knew it would not simply be a rehash of a familiar tune. I knew it would be different. Ms. Galan did not disappoint. Her reimagination of “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” is a completely different than any of the other versions I have heard. It is truly a sonic delight.

Debora Galan practices the discipline of prayer and meditation prayer and meditation and this often leads to what she describes as “divine inspiration”. “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?”, a beautiful transformation of an original composition, with a touch of cultural diversity and originality should be a part of your musical collection. I urge you to purchase it today.

By Tone Hardy of “Jazz On Ice – The Sunday Brunch”

The Doctor Reviews Debora Galan’s latest CD  All About Love

Published on June 8, 2018

In a world of overproduced music, synthesized horns and abundant jazz covers of R&B and Pop music, Deborah Galan’s breakout CD All About Love is a welcome breath of fresh air to the lover of real music. Galan is one part Barbara Streisand, one part Sade and two parts Debora Galan. Her Latin origins, her fire, her passion and her vocal range shine thru, providing an authentic Latin Jazz listening experience. Every song is an original composition, something almost unheard of in this day and age.

Her vocal excellence notwithstanding, I think I was equally impressed by Ms. Galan, the Executive Producer. Her collaboration with multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger Allan Phillips and the incredible band she has behind her, lends tremendous credibility to Debora as a band leader and director. I look forward to eventually seeing her perform live, whenever she graces the East Coast with her Queenly presence.

There is no title track for All About Love. Rather, each song is a stitch of the tapestry of her description of love, in all its facets, that she weaves throughout this artwork. “Love is the greatest and most powerful emotion that everyone relates to,” Ms. Galan stated in a recent interview on the radio show, “Jazz On Ice – The Sunday Brunch” on WNLK in Norwalk, CT and WSTC in Stamford, CT. Love between a couple, familial love, spiritual love, love between friends and brokenhearted love are all covered in this remarkable compendium of musical genius.

Just like Sade, who did her own thing in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, Ms. Galan does her own thing on this recording. “I wanted to be different, by not having cover tunes”, she stated in the aforementioned interview. Different, is an understatement. Unique, is a far better description of what I have listened to over the last week or so.

The song “Arms of Love” describes the enchantment of love. It’s accented by a smooth soprano saxophone solo by Kamau Kenyatta. Ricardo “Tiki” Pasillas sets the Latin tempo with his masterful percussion play.

“Luz Del Sol (Light of the Sun)” is one of two songs Debora sings in the Spanish language. In my opinion, this adds to the authenticity of the song, and further immerses the listener in Latin culture. I felt like grabbing a Mojito and joining the party. The horn section punctuates the song, most notably Derek Cannon on the trumpet, John Rekevics on the saxophone and Daniel Regan on the trombone.

There are two version of the song “So This is Love? (A Esto Le Llamas Amor?), one in English and one in Spanish. Listening to the two versions back to back several times, I found myself drawn to the authenticity of the Spanish version. I closed my eyes and was immediately transported to any number of Latin countries or Latin American communities in the United States where I had some of the best times of my life.

“Unconditional Love” is an anthem to true love, as she triumphantly sings about her man. It’s the kind of positive message lacking in music today, and it makes you believe true love is possible for you too.

“I’ll Be Here” describes the love of a friend, and the background vocals of Natalya Phillips sprinkled throughout are encouraging and soothing. You can hear the Barbara Streisand influence in “Love Sublime”. The beauty of her voice is highlighted in “Through the Eyes of a Child”. As a father, my mind went back to the days when my only son was a toddler. Thoughts of getting down on the floor and crawling around with him, looking at the world from his vantage point, the way he saw it, is what she beautifully describes in this song. After listening, you will be moved to hug your child, regardless of their age.

This project is the child of Debora Galan’s discipline of prayer and meditation, or “divine inspiration”, as she describes it. If you are looking for beautiful arrangements, original compositions, cultural diversity, originality and a really, really, really good time, All About Love should absolutely be a part of your music collection today.

Watching Debora Galan perform is like spending an enjoyable evening with a good friend.  The engaging R&B / Jazz singer’s natural warmth and sincerity comes through in her music, making her performances a joy to behold.