Delta Deep
Delta Deep
(Mailboat Records)
Phil Collen of Def Leppard has pooled together the talents of Rob DeLeo (bassist/Stone Temple Pilot), Forrest Robinson (drummer/TLC, India.Arie) and Debbi Blackwell-Cook (who formerly sang background vocals for Michael Buble, Gregory Hines) to create Delta Deep. Eight of the eleven songs on Delta Deep’s album were written by Phil, his wife Helen, and Debbi Blackwell-Cook. The album also features special guests Paul Cook on drums (Sex Pistols) and Simon Laffy on bass (GIRL) on “Black Coffee;” David Coverdale (Whitesnake) dueting with Debbi Blackwell-Cook on “Private Number,” and Def Leppard band mate Joe Elliott who duets with Debbi on the classic remake of “Mistreated.” CJ Vanston, who has produced such greats like Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, TOTO, and Tina Turner to name a few, lends his impressive organ playing skills as he special guests on “Burnt Sally.”
“Bang the Lid”, kicks things off with a slide guitar, a stomping drum beat mixed well with the bass and infectious vocals. This is a great, upbeat start to the album and gets things jumping right from the get-go. “Whiskey” is a more mellow number that brings things down to a very chilled atmosphere and it has incredible vocals which carry the song. “Down in the Delta” gets things back into a more upbeat mode and you can hear a bit of Def Leppard in the song with its guitar riffs, loud drums, and a huge chorus that makes the song stick in your head. “Treat Her Like Candy” is a mid-tempo duet that features both male and female vocals that seem to have been singing together forever. “Miss Me” is an up-tempo song in which each of the two vocalists sings one verse before being joined by the other for the chorus. “Burnt Sally” adds the organ by CJ Vanston to this fantastic jazz and blues-infused love song. “Private Number” features David Coverdale’s vocals which are totally suited for this style of music and makes for a highlight of the album. “Shuffle Sweet” brings back the more hard rocking sound and does it right with highs that would make any band jealous. “Feelit” keeps the rock sound going and last song “Mistreated,” is a slow song that wrings every bit of emotion out of you to close the album.
While not an album for the blues purist, it has enough shades to make the open minded happy and get you into a great mind set. This is one of those albums that will get stuck on repeat and get stuck to your soul.
(Rick Ecker)
Purchase Delta Deep on iTunes.
