Los Angeles Examiner
Deborah Berg celebrates 25 years in the music business with a new project
Bob Leggett
Griffith Park/Los Feliz Examiner
Deborah Berg is a New York City-based singer/songwriter and teacher whose distinctive voice, songwriting talents, and warm teaching style characterize her 25 year musical career.
No Rush, her fifth CD (and second solo CD), is scheduled for release early this year. It has been 12 years since the release of Places Where I Dream, which was also her debut solo recording.
This time around, Deborah is working with producer/studio owner/bass player Ken Rich from Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn, New York. No Rush is a collection of ten original songs that soothe the senses and inspire dancing close, and features these fantastic musicians: John Putnam, Andrew Sherman, Frank Vilardi, Richard Hammond, Wes Corbett, Antoine Silverman, Payton McDonald, Chris Eminizer, Clark Gayton and Satoru Ohashi.
Deborah has a storied musical legacy. In the 80's, she joined with British music composer Julian Marshall to form the band Eye to Eye, which recorded two classic albums for Warner Bros. Records: Eye to Eye and Shakespeare Stole my Baby. Both of these albums were produced by Steely Dan's producer, Gary Katz.
After leaving Warner Bros., Eye to Eye recorded an independent album entitled Clean Slate, which was produced by Roxy Music's producer, Rhett Davies.
Besides her work with Eye to Eye and on her own, Deborah found time in 2009 to co-write with Doug Katsaros the theme song for Great Museums, the only nationwide television series devoted to America's museums.
All told, Deborah has published and written or co-written more than 50 original songs.
Her latest effort puts her in the same category as Patty Griffin, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn as Deborah turns her talents to storytelling songs. The album is classic country, though it borrows from other musical genres as well.
Favorite cuts are Face the Revolution, with its great guitar rifts in the style of Lynrd Skynrd; Over Phones and Tables, a great story song similar to the great Dottie West; Tattoo, with its great steel guitar and No Rush, a song that defies genre classification and is a very fitting conclusion to this album.
In addition, two of the songs, Distance Between Us, a waltz, and Free to Shine, a two-step, belong in every country dance palace.
This is a very worthy effort. Welcome back, Ms. Berg. So glad to have you around. For more information, check out her website at www.deborahberg.com.