Deb Bowman: "Reflection" (2025) CD Review

Deb Bowman is a singer working in the jazz realm. Earlier this year she released Reflection, an album featuring covers of material from some of her favorite composers. Many of these songs are from musicals, an area she is quite at home in, for in addition to her career in music, Deb Bowman is an actor who has performed in many stage musicals, including Chicago and Cabaret. And she does a tremendous job with this material, often providing fresh perspectives and spins on these familiar and beloved numbers. Joining her on this album are Dean Fransen on piano and organ, Jim Donica on bass, Jakubu Griffin on drums, Joel Mateo on percussion, Tom McCaffrey on guitar, Kurt Bacher on woodwinds, Bruce Harris on trumpet, and Rashaan Salaam on trombone, with a few different musicians on a couple of tracks.

She opens the album with Stephen Sondheim's "Send In The Clowns," which is one of Sondheim's best and most popular songs. Her rendition has an unusual and striking arrangement, featuring interesting use of percussion which gives the song a fresh vibe. There is also a somewhat dreamy aspect to the song at times. And interestingly, she doesn't punch up the "Don't bother, they're here" line. After that line, there is a nice instrumental section, containing some wonderful work on piano. That is followed by Henry Mancini's "Moon River," from the Breakfast At Tiffany's film. This one begins on piano, and then on the first line, Deb Bowman really displays her vocal talent. She delivers a tremendous and captivating performance. There is some interesting percussion on this track too, and also some good work on bass, but it is Deb's voice that is the real jewel here. It's a gorgeous performance. There is an ethereal quality to the vocal section in the middle, and it is that section that really makes this rendition stand out and makes this track one of the album's highlights. This track features Tim Aucoin on bass, Jared Lanham on drums, and Marla Feeney on woodwinds.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" begins with a rain sound effect, which I can always do without. Still, there is more to that opening section than just the rain effect, and the rest of it grabs us. Here she delivers those opening stanzas that are not often included, and does so as if from some distance. While on a more intimate level, other lines are delivered, "Hold onto your breath" and "Hold onto your heart" and "Hold onto your hope," which are from "Optimistic Voices." I've never heard an introduction to this song quite like this, the lyrics feeling like fragments of some larger tapestry. Then when the song begins in earnest, it moves at a somewhat faster pace than many versions, with a Latin vibe. There is more joy and cheer to this rendition, to the vocal performance. The song becomes a dance. And I like the extended ending. That's followed by an absolutely wonderful rendition of "This Girl's In Love." I love the way it begins, with some cool work on bass, which sets the tone. And for the first several lines, Deb's voice is supported just by bass. It sounds so damn good. This song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was a hit for Dionne Warwick. Deb Bowman delivers a passionate and delightful vocal performance. I also appreciate that work on organ, even before the lead. This is one of the best renditions I've heard, and is another of this disc's highlights.

Deb Bowman then turns to Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for "He Was Too Good To Me," delivering another excellent and emotional vocal performance, Here her voice is supported by some excellent work by Dean Fransen on piano. "It's only natural/I'm so blue/He was too good to be true." There is a touching lead on piano in the second half. This song was written for the musical Simple Simon, but dropped before the show opened. Little Shop Of Horrors was probably the first musical that I saw that I really loved, back in the 1980s. From that play, Deb chooses Audrey's "Somewhere That's Green." She cuts the first several lines, which are the humorous and somewhat twisted lines. You know, like the one where Audrey admits she's dating "a semi-sadist" and the one where she says she has "a black eye." Without those lines, the song has quite a different tone. It becomes a much sweeter, more earnest love song, which I have mixed feelings about. This track features a nice lead on guitar.

"How Do You Keep The Music Playing" is a song from the movie Best Friends, starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. I had forgotten about this film. Maybe I should revisit it. I love Goldie Hawn, especially her 1970s and 1980s work. Anyway, Deb Bowman puts her own spin on it. At first her voice is supported just by piano, a pretty performance. Then a third of the way into the track, it takes on a Latin rhythm, which is a bit different from the original version by James Ingram and Patti Austin. But it works well. "If we can be the best of lovers/Yet be the best of friends/If we can try with every day/To make it better as it grows/With any luck then I suppose/The music never ends." Amen to that. And following that line about the music never ending, there is a wonderful lead on piano. Deb Bowman also puts her own spin on "Till There Was You," which is apparent right from the start.This rendition has an odd, sort of dark opening, mimicking that familiar bell sequence, leading to the first line "There were bells on the hill." It's a dramatic beginning. It then lifts us up on the line, "Then there was music," which seems perfect. I've never heard a rendition quite like this one. It becomes like a delightful dream. This is the other track to feature Tim Aucoin on bass, Jared Lanham on drums, and Marla Feeney on woodwinds. Deb then wraps up the album with a song from the animated film Dumbo, "Baby Mine," a lullaby, her voice supported by piano. "Rest your head close to my heart/Never to part/Baby of mine."

CD Track List

1. Send In The Clowns
2. Moon River
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
4. This Girl's In Love
5. He Was Too Good To Me
6. Somewhere That's Green
7. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
8. Till There Was You
9. Baby Mine

Reflection was released on April 11, 2025 on Mama Bama Records.