This wondrous lady returns to our town with a show filled with her blend of soul music with a solid treatment of thunderous rock. Gone are the prerecorded tracks. Debby was backed with the Debby Holiday Rock ‘n’ Soul Band: Forrest Everett drums, Derek Max Day guitar, Sheila Tq Johnson bass, piano Maurice MP Raccoon from the band Bonfire and Jedda Doroshenko guitar.
Breaking right into the tonight’s show, striking chords arose from the guitars, drum and piano. The band led by Debby nailed this soulful emphatic classic “Chain of Fools” from Aretha Franklin. Her musical genre is a definite Rock ‘n’ Soul. A superlative facet of Debby and her musical tastes is that she slides into different song styles naturally. She revealed that she actually found rock-a-billy interesting and gave everyone a sample of this hot jumping style. Then suddenly she mentions Etta James and softly sings her greatest hit “At Last” as well as anyone would hope. Her voice drifted low, rumbling in the blues, then rising to a high-noted ending. Sensational.
Debby remarked that she has a new show which is a tribute to Tina Turner. She sampled a number of her tunes and certainly rocked the room and anyone present. Her body and vocal movements match up with this rock and soul icon of music history. “Rock Me Baby” got the groove going, then “Gimme Shelter” from the uppermost rock and roll band in history The Rolling Stones exploded with her band thundering a flurry of guitars mixed with a jolting piano and steady drum beats, all working off Debby’s lead. She is the director of the show, calling all the shots and sending out cues. Derek displayed his excitingly wild electric guitar screeches and wails.
Debby enjoyed her fifteenth Billboard Top 20 Dance Hit last December. Her CD Free2B [half rock/half dance] allows her to fully embrace her two musical sides. Copies are for sale. She hushed the feelings on the stage with a soulful “Purple Rain” from Prince. Her version was soulful and possessed a Gospel edge. The three guitars resounded and exploded with slick fervor. This is one impressive performance of rock, soul, R&B, gospel and blues. Debby is multi-faceted. She is a ball of talent and fire.
Presenting a song that very well fits her voice and demeanor was Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece “Hallelujah”. Debby is blessed with having performed on stage with some music greats and has been seen on television. She became a part of the music industry growing up, being that her father Jimmy Holiday was a soul singer and writer. His biggest hit was Jackie DeShannon’s “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”. She grew up surrounded by top artists of that time with music the blood that flowed in her body eventually leading to this career. She is an accomplished singer and songwriter as was her father.
Debby brought on guest Nikki Carter on sax who blew her horn in complimenting solos, especially nicely on “Private Dancer”. “Thank you for coming and supporting live music.” The group literally blasted into “Proud Mary” after she said she doesn’t “do anything nice and easy.” Forrest supplied the deep-voiced Ike adding authenticity. Debby has been enjoying songwriting very much as it is a way for her to express feelings. This one has become a type of Anthem: “Waiting For A Lifetime”. The all-inclusive video features some of Debby’s friends including Leslie Jordan. Video Link: http://bit.ly/DebbyHolidayWaitingForALifetime
Debby ended tonight with noteworthy advice, “Be kind to one another. Be kind to yourself.” Rock ‘n’ Soul. Such a Fun Night.
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Tickets at Nacho Daddy or http://www.nachodaddypv.com
This article written by Gary R. Beck
