Deborah Crooks and Bay Station

Bay Station - Go Out And Make SomeIf you are an admirer or fan of a singer-songwriter such as Lucinda Williams, Deborah Crooks and her comrades that comprise Bay Station have a collection of songs that will spend time close to your Lucinda Williams collection. There's just enough retro style guitar along side modern tonal energy to keep Kwame Copeland's performance that opens Bay Station’s 2nd album: “Go Out and Make Some” in that Lucinda Williams neighborhood. This is a collection of some fine alternative rock-country, that at times, even exemplifies the quality of the Grateful Dead / Jerry Garcia Band’s during their days when their only female lead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux was in residence ("Sunrise," "Rain"). Deborah adds just enough white-blues tempered steel to suggest 1994’s & Blue by Nature’s Karen Lawrence's power and authority ("Once Again," "Bring It Home," "Don't Break It Up," "Rain"). That's quite a bunch of comparisons -- and they are all unqualified giants in their respective music.

But, what’s startling good, as well, and allows Bay Station to be special -- is when Kwame Copeland sings with Deborah and they sound like a hybrid Jefferson Airplane – that Grace Slick-Paul Kanter vocal power and candor. This is going to be enjoyable.

California based -- with a strain of Hot Tuna-early Jefferson Airplane -- running through their melodic San Francisco oriented roots – Bay Station’s music is attractive with the same muse that awakened many talented, diversified musicians of the 60’s from that area.

“Be Kind,” is a cool infectious tune with Deborah’s vocals somewhat subdued -- as if she's singing to herself, subliminally, as an after-thought – but, not losing any of the energetic rock that is her strenght. Copeland’s guitar is virtually always on target with aggressive, wonderfully melodic runs. On this tune his playing is the glue that holds it together. Crooks’ vocal is the frame. I like the way Crooks chose to sing the song. Maybe she didn't think it out or plan it, maybe she did. No matter...she doesn’t sound like anyone except Deborah Crooks on this song.

She conjures some great alchemy in the tune without even raising a bead of sweat on her brow. Nice guitar conclusion...well picked and classy.

“Wolf Birds,” is quite the opposite of “Be Kind.” Deborah displays a more bluesy-ballad ballsy vocal approach. A little like the powerful female vocalist Genya Ravan (Ten Wheel Drive) when she sang some of her songs slower. The lyrics for the most part are consistently clever, creative and the steady splash of cymbals in the back ground lead a creepy, but beautiful support just under the surface of Copeland’s un-intrusive guitar..... - No Depression

California-based songwriter Deborah Crooks‘ music draws on folk, rock, Americana and the Blues. Her diverse, ever-evolving artistic path has included studying writing and poetics at The Naropa Institute, voice in India, co-writing and collaborating with her Bay Area peers and gigging throughout the Western US.

In this interview, we chat with Deborah about her newest project, influences, and more.

Full Q&A, links, and a stream of “Beauty Everywhere” are below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I’ve always been interested in stories, life stories, and the fact that it could be possible to express deep feeling through words and music. Growing up, music was always on the radio or stereo and I also loved to read. I had several “aha” moments when I first saw and heard deeply emotive artists such as Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, and Lucinda Williams. And I’ve always been the kind of person that wants to try something I’m excited about for myself!

How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?

My earliest recording effort was in 2003, so close to 15 years.

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?

So much of my community exists because I put my creative work out in the world. Many of my friends are dedicated artists or writers and they keep me inspired and motivated to keep the conversation going. I get out to a fair number of shows in the Bay Area which is full of diverse music — live music has the juice! — see what other songwriters are up to and generally get reignited to express how it all looks and feels from my corner of the world. I also practice yoga and Buddhism to keep my spirit in order. Truth and beauty are where it’s at for feeling alive.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

I wanted to record quickly, with this exact group of musicians. We’ve done other projects and/or played live together over the years and I wanted to get close to that in-the-room chemistry. Recording in an analog studio also lent itself to the immediacy and authenticity I was going for in the songs themselves.

What was the last song you listened to?

I’m loving the newest from Lori McKenna. Her song “The Bird & The Rifle.”

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Vinyl still represents the best of music listening, both for sound quality and quality of experience. I love CDs in the car. I stream more than buy Mp3s these days.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I like Apple Music when I tour. I’m a longtime iTunes user so it’s an extension of being familiar with that interface and it streams well in the car. At home I love Bandcamp for general discovery and because it feels really indie friendly/egalitarian.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

Hah, digital tools are both musician friend and foe, aren’t they? Touring to places I’ve never played before is also both fun and necessary and can be difficult as you’re new/unproven in town. I love it…and want to make it more sustainable.

Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?

Yes, I perform in the San Francisco Bay Area regularly and usually tour the North and Southwest 1-2 times a year. I did a cross-country tour last year and hope to do more. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to my record release show at The Back Room in Berkeley, CA on October 14, 2016. All my upcoming dates are listed on/being added to my sites and Bandcamp page.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

My Bandcamp site, Facebook and I love Instagram, too.

Plus you can sign up for my newsletter at my website.

Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Thank you for supporting indie artists!

Go see live music, support your local music venues and make art! - Middle Tennessee Music

This young lady from Alameda ,California, previously discussed in these columns ( February 2011 ), so can concentrate our efforts on " Little Bird," the third full CD by this songwriter who can dance smoothly from one genre to another like few others.

She can, has to do with her ​​voice. That body, from afar a bit akin to that of Lucinda ( but less gritty ) or Chrissy Hynde (but less sharp), is without a doubt the most important asset for this singer, who is also writes all her own songs .

For this third album Deborah appealed to the producers and musicians capacities Art Khu who took apart the piano and org, even once the guitar and part of the bass on his behalf...Best known for his jazz tunes, on this album he demonstrates his versatility with the voice of Deborah, it's mostly his guitar that determines the direction that this record goes. Sometimes, as in " Bittersweet Valentine," it veers toward New Orleans funk, but Khu equally puts reggae lines down ( in "Find My Way"). In addition, he is in no small way helped by drummer Mike Stevens, who excels on every song. That man knows how to very delicately form the backbone of the band and it's been a really long time since I heard a drummer so fully a musician. Stevens is time and again spot-on. That fact can be equally said of the other bassist of the band, Ben Bernstein.
A let's see what we have thus far: a very nice, versatile voice, great songs, lots of variety, delicate arrangements and a more than solid band. Well, in terms of conclusion do so then soon in the higher grades. The somewhat dreamy pop of Litke an Earthquake, the Moon Martin -like power pop of "Looking Down The Road " I had not mentioned, but they are both more than single-worthy songs.

If I count all together, then I come out with one of the finest records I could take in this still young year.

( Dani Heyvaert ) - See more at: http://www.deborahcrooks.com/press/#sthash.UOwmH1GF.dpuf - Rootstime

For almost twenty years the term Americana has been thrown around by music journalists to describe a folkier brand of rock with slight blues and country elements. It is the very term used to describe the music of DEBORAH CROOKS but her newest album LITTLE BIRD is so much more than that. With her latest album, the listener is treated to the work of an artist with a wide palette of sounds at her disposal for straight ahead rock n roll to blues and from country to reggae. And lets not overlook those insightful lyrics of hers on such tracks as the bluesy title track, the pleasantly grooving BITTERSWEET VALENTINE and the spirited rocker LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD. In short, LITTLE BIRD is not an album that can be defined by one sound or label. It is quite simply smart and engaging music. If you are still one of those flks that still collects CDs try filing this one somewhere between JOHN HIATT's BRING THE FAMILY and LUCINDA WILLIAMS' CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD.
- See more at: http://www.deborahcrooks.com/press/#sthash.rM3ohHIi.dpuf - Rockwired

Deborah Crooks’ CD “Little Bird” is a masterful piece of work in all its warmth, brightness and rich musical glory.

Her phenomenal and vivid story telling – as exhibited on the environmentally conscience and metaphorically interesting track “Everclear” – is refreshing and compelling. Her tales of heartbreak – as illustrated on the beautiful “Like An Earthquake” are delivered with sincerity and honesty, making for a well rounded musical experience.

While gazing out of my window, listening to Deborah’s music, I think of beautiful California hills on a wonderful sunny day. Her songwriting is thoughtful, playful and soothing. The album’s musicianship is fantastically arranged Americana (also heard a little bit of Ska/Reggae in the mix (“Find My Way”) as well) at its best.

I would recommend one song off the album, but in this case, I feel compelled to provide the link to her entire CD stream. It’s that good, so here you go, enjoy:

“Little Bird” by Deborah Crooks
- See more at: http://www.deborahcrooks.com/press/#sthash.UOwmH1GF.dpuf - New Music Charts

It’s probably my own fault for not having a wide enough frame of reference for this kind of thing, but still: the first comparison that came to mind when listening to Deborah Crooks’ It’s All Up To You EP was the relatively obscure 1992 solo album Izzy Stradlin made with the Ju Ju Hounds. Which isn’t even nearly accurate enough a comparison to withstand much interrogation. In fact, it’s pretty flimsy in almost every way.

So why did it, like a cowled crim wielding a cudgel, strike me so forcefully?

As opposed to some of Crooks’ more obvious peers – the likes of Sheryl Crowe, and perhaps a tired Alanis Morissette – what Stradlin’s record shares with It’s All Up To You is an easy, summer road-trip, I’ve-listened-to-a-lot-of-Rolling-Stones-and-I’m-not-afraid-to-show-it kind of vibe.

This is especially obvious on EP opener “Let’s Move”, which is about as intrinsically Stones-ian as making dubious romantic advances on an attractively under-aged youth. But, unlike one of Ron Wood’s Saturday evenings, this is a thoroughly pleasant experience: the guitars have just enough chunkiness to give the song some drive, but are warm enough to complement the song’s gently enthusiastic tone.

And like Stradlin, Crooks seems happiest when lovingly recycling the more rootsy elements of rock music. Song arrangements remain charmingly basic throughout: from the Memphis blues of “Joy” (a hint of Alannah “Black Velvet” Myles, easily forgiven due to Crooks’ earnestness) to the shimmering country-pop of “Falling”, tracks have an average running time of a shade over three minutes, and not a second is given to unnecessary frippery or adventure. You get the feeling that, rather than push the envelope, Crooks would rather stuff a handwritten letter to a missed love one inside it.

Of the seven songs on display, two stand out as highlights. Firstly, the fondly nostalgic “Grandma Mission Blues”, which benefits from being the most plainly personal songs on the EP – according to the blurb on her website, it was written about her Croatian-immigrant grandmother’s life in San Francisco (incidentally, while visiting the website several times to research lyrics and bios and suchlike, I was continually assaulted by the music-box atop the homepage which insisted on playing automatically, with no option to disable it, only to pause it, which is surely one of the cardinal sins a website can commit. Grr, etc.)

Secondly, the uncharacteristically melancholic “Sunday Best”, propelled by a lovely militaristic drumbeat. From what I can gather it deals with a protagonist who didn’t see eye to eye with her mother and deals with it by focusing with unusual intent on doing the laundry, or something, but this leads me to an important point about the EP, and the final similarity with Mr Stradlin: the lyrics are utterly secondary to the overall cadence and atmosphere. “Yeah nothing happens till something moves, so baby let’s move” indeed.

A conclusion then. It’s All Up To You is an splendidly pleasant way to spend half an hour, particularly if it’s playing on a car radio, or perhaps an iThing as you barrel absentmindedly along some train tracks, and can be safely deemed above average (it receives a 6 instead of a 5 by dint of having “Sunday Best” on offer). - ZME Music

Turn It All Red is the title of the excellent new janglerock album from Bay Area songwriter Deborah Crooks. Backed by a tight three-piece band, singer/guitarist Crooks opens the album with the catchy, bouncy title track. It’s about pulling out all the stops: “pull out your purple heart and turn it all red,” she cajoles. And what a fine song stylist she is, sounding like Chrissie Hynde at her late 80s peak as a vocalist on the next track, the beautifully pensive Land’s End. In a highly nuanced, subtly soul-inflected delivery, she retraces the steps of someone who’s finally come into her own, finally ready to stop burning her bridges. She maintains that feel on the next track, Raising Cain, whose narrator is simply trying to find her way through the storm while maintaining her sanity:
You can raise and nation, and birth a son

But where does a daughter get to stand

Who’s eaten that apple

So bittersweet

Gleaned from this poisoned land



“Rock the cradle all the way to the grave,” Crooks sings with not a little bittersweetness at the end of the chorus. The ep concludes on the same upbeat note where it began with another catchy, bouncing pop-rock tune, Café la Vie. The only complaint about this album is that there aren’t more songs on it. What a nice surprise to get this in the mail! - Lucid Culture

She sings in an intimate way about love, winning and losing that love, about life and the necessary trust in any relationship. We are talking about Deborah Crooks from Santa Cruz, but since some time working in San Francisco. Her debut album "Adding Water To The Ashes" contains some textual lyrical and musical gems such as the delicious "St. Anthony, the emotional but hopeful "Little Girl", the musical tour de force "Land's End" with beautiful harmony vocals by Eamon Ryland, the persistent fair "Miss Me Sometime" and the intensely intimate "Believe". Vocal does Deborah Crooks me happy at times reminiscent of Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs) or Margo Timm (of Cowboy Junkies), her voice is equally beautiful to describe. Finally we would like an extra entry to the beautiful painting "Fire / Sky" by Patty Neal that a story can tell on the record sleeve. "Adding Water To The Ashes" is a treasure picture of a strong singer who, in our not too long have to wait again to work on our new release. We are now honored under the category of fans of the first hour to be classified. - Rootstime

There are some artists who grew up with their feet firmly planted in the tradition of country and blues, and while some may argue that to stay in the past is to look backwards, Deborah Crooks makes the case for a return to the roots of rock in her latest record, It’s All Up To You.

This doesn’t mean the album is stuck in the past. Instead, Crooks uses her skills to build an experience that will separate her from the country pop acts growing more popular each day. Her music’s more in the vein of Johnny Cash than Carrie Underwood. With the main focus on her voice, lyrics, and guitar playing, Crooks’ latest makes for a relaxing afternoon listen.

The record starts with “Let’s Move,” a slow burner with an explosive chorus. A steady, thumping guitar strum opens the track, accompanied by an upbeat piano. While mid-paced verse will keep your attention, the chorus is an electric eruption, a shot of adrenaline that kicks all of the instrumentation up. The piano’s pushed to the forefront and the guitar gains volume. It’s an unexpected change of pace that separates the song from the rest of the album, which is more restrained.

“Grandma Mission Blues” is a decent follow-up, with light drum patterns and a whistling organ conjuring images of an old-fashioned steam train. But Crooks’ highest point comes in the title track. What sounds like congas and a flamenco guitar create a slow Latin feel. The mood takes a sudden shift when classical, dark strings fill in the background and Crooks’ tired, desperate voice breaks through. She sings like she’s trying to get through to someone who just won’t listen. While she really wants a change to happen, she leaves the decision up to the person she’s confronting. Hints of hope are found beneath the surface of her exhausted resignation that there’s not much more she can do. Crooks’ worn-out vocals and the strings transform “It’s All Up To You” from average to excellent, creating a deep emotional and musical piece.

The next two tracks, “Falling” and “Someone Needs You Now”, work as a pair though they’re very different in music and mood. The former is a happy affair. The keys throughout the song create a light, poppy feel while the lyrics are full of lively images, such as allusions to birds and a brand-new day. It’s a short, enjoyable love song with the simple chorus of “I’m falling. Catch me.” “Falling” is not overtly lovey-dovey, but there’s no mistaking the intended romance. The latter of the pair is a sequel of sorts, a darker second act to its bright counterpart. Complete with the sounds of a slow horse gallop, “Someone Needs You Now” is the most Western song on the album. It’s another romantic song, but the optimism has eroded into desperate yearning. In “Falling,” love was within reach, but in this case, it’s fallen out of Crooks’ grasp. The two complement each other wonderfully.

If you enjoy traditional country music, this record would make a fine addition to your collection. If you don’t, it’s still worth a listen. It’s All Up To You separates itself from the mainstream country pack and moves in a whole variety of unexpected directions. After all, it’s always good to take a look back once in a while. - Consequence of Sound

"...think Johnette Napolitano or even Annie Lennox. Her voice is full of character and charm." - www.southofmainstream.com

"An honest singer/songwriter who’ll seduce you with her smoky voice...."

www.diyreporter.com - DIY Reporter

 "Soothing voice and meaningful lyrics!! Love Dream Me, very hopeful and a tasty arrangement,refreshingly honest and thought provoking.........."
--Bruno Grossi / CDBaby - CDbaby.com

Deborah Crooks "5 Acres"

When I opened up Deborah Crooks cd entitled “5 Acres” while running task’s I couldn’t wait to hear this cd and was intrigued by the artwork. The cd artwork reflects the mood almost to a “T”. On the front Deborah sits in contemplation with fingers steepled, an acoustic guitar rests close by. This black & white photograph is classic with southern blues musicians. Inside the cd there is lyrics and another gorgeous black & white that is taken at ground level and depicts lilies in full bloom, wind blown, under a sunny sky. The chained fence behind the lilies create an ominous illusion.

From the moment the music played my city stress began to dissipate upon hearing the fine southern acoustic melodies. Her lyrics are both honest and courageous. She has a black velvet style that reminds me of Alana Myles. Deborah Crooks has a voice that is smooth and real. I’d like to hear her really let it all out!

After hearing the cd once, I knew that I would immediately play it again and I did. The first track, “Answers”, is definitely my favorite song on the cd. It’s upbeat tempo is lively while Deborah sings with conviction and faith. This is a song that probably everyone can relate to at one time or another. The end is only the beginning of something else or something like that ..right? The mandolin in this song rings as if to awaken the listener and is brilliant for this reason. The acoustic guitar strumming is energetic and really sets up a nice electric lead. Tasty! -- Monica Yonge - Monica Yonge-Indie Reviews

Interview with Jon Russel of the Indie Pool

The podcast is available at our website www.kyouradio.com

On the home page scroll over the On Demand bar along the top. Click that.

Click on Page 10.

Scroll down till you see The Indie Pool podcasts show up.

Click on the title: The Indie Pool: Deborah Crooks

To listen on your computer click "play". - Kyouradio.com

The impressive full-length debut by Bay Area songwriter Deborah Crooks, backed here by a full electric band playing a mix of mostly pensive, slow-to-midtempo rock with subtlety and good taste. Crooks’ voice evokes Chrissie Hynde’s late period, able to shift from a gentle, knowing murmur to a soaring wail in a split-second. The music defies association with any era other than perhaps this one: no 70s folkie-blues clichés, no 80s synthesizer schlock, no boring 90s trip-hop or silly samples. The production may be lush, but the overall feeling is consistently raw and emotional. There’s a lot of longing, regret and angst here, but it’s all familiar: pretty much anybody can relate to the catalog of disappointments and dashed hopes that Crooks chronicles. The cd kicks with its title track, a characteristically pensive ballad. The cd’s second cut, Living Proof is a stark, haunting minor key tale of living on the fringes, with spooky violin accents that join with the guitar, building to a long, screaming crescendo on the last verse before literally falling off the edge. Anchored by somber Hammond organ, St. Anthony is a viscerally wrenching requiem:



Mountains crumble underfoot

And glaciers creak and moan

Songbirds sing the same song a whole lot

Pray and we’ll make it home

Ain’t that the way love is?

You torched the fields

And you wait for all that grass to grow back

The brief, fragmentary Little Girl is as hopeful a song as there is here, picking up the pace doublespeed at the end with some nicely bracing slide guitar. The 6/8 ballad Where You’re Going clangs along on a pretty 12-string melody: “Here come those clouds, it’s gonna pour again,” Crooks laments. Big Wide Ocean, from her previous ep Turn It All Red, is a slow soulful ballad featuring more vivid, incisive lead guitar. Of all the cuts here, Roll Back Time most closely evokes the Pretenders, albeit in quiet ballad mode with its echoey violin and fingerpicked guitar. The rest of the cd reveals the band adept at upbeat, Cajun-inflected rock and minimalist soul balladry but not country. That’s a minor quibble, though: give this to someone you know who detests singer/songwriters and you will change their mind, if only for one album. “Put me on your ipod,” it murmurs, bleak but resonant. - Lucid Culture

It's All Up to You. Deborah Crooks describes her music as Americana, but it mostly exists at the bluesier end of that spectrum. There's something almost cabaret-like about "Let's Move"; there's a distinct Latin influence on "It's All Up to You," and "Sunday Best" sounds downright Celtic. This is a more diverse take on Americana with a distinctly female tone, and quite charming. (self-released) - East Bay Express

California-based songwriter Deborah Crooks‘ music draws on folk, rock, Americana and the Blues. Her diverse, ever-evolving artistic path has included studying writing and poetics at The Naropa Institute, voice in India, co-writing and collaborating with her Bay Area peers and gigging throughout the Western US.

In this interview, we chat with Deborah about her newest project, influences, and more.

Full Q&A, links, and a stream of “Beauty Everywhere” are below. - Middle Tennessee Music

Following Deborah Crooks’ March 2016 release Go Out And Make Some, with Bay Station, her duo project with Kwame Copeland,Crooks went right back to work laying down the finishing touches on her solo CD, Beauty Everywhere (Oct. 18th, 2016). While keeping musically in step with the Americana-esque approach with Bay Station, the songwriting on Beauty Everywhere leans more towards the personal, with songs covering the middle of a relationship (“Jumped in Anyway”), the end of a love relationship (“Record of a Day”), and moving into a new home (“Make this House”).
... - CSuite Music

If you are an admirer or fan of a singer-songwriter such as Lucinda Williams, Deborah Crooks and her comrades that comprise Bay Station have a collection of songs that will spend time close to your Lucinda Williams collection. There's just enough retro style guitar along side modern tonal energy to keep Kwame Copeland's performance that opens Bay Station’s 2nd album: “Go Out and Make Some” in that Lucinda Williams neighborhood. This is a collection of some fine alternative rock-country, that at times, even exemplifies the quality of the Grateful Dead / Jerry Garcia Band’s during their days when their only female lead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux was in residence ("Sunrise," "Rain"). Deborah adds just enough white-blues tempered steel to suggest 1994’s & Blue by Nature’s Karen Lawrence's power and authority ("Once Again," "Bring It Home," "Don't Break It Up," "Rain"). That's quite a bunch of comparisons -- and they are all unqualified giants in their respective music.

But, what’s startling good, as well, and allows Bay Station to be special -- is when Kwame Copeland sings with Deborah and they sound like a hybrid Jefferson Airplane – that Grace Slick-Paul Kanter vocal power and candor. This is going to be enjoyable.

California based -- with a strain of Hot Tuna-early Jefferson Airplane -- running through their melodic San Francisco oriented roots – Bay Station’s music is attractive with the same muse that awakened many talented, diversified musicians of the 60’s from that area.

“Be Kind,” is a cool infectious tune with Deborah’s vocals somewhat subdued -- as if she's singing to herself, subliminally, as an after-thought – but, not losing any of the energetic rock that is her strenght. Copeland’s guitar is virtually always on target with aggressive, wonderfully melodic runs. On this tune his playing is the glue that holds it together. Crooks’ vocal is the frame. I like the way Crooks chose to sing the song. Maybe she didn't think it out or plan it, maybe she did. No matter...she doesn’t sound like anyone except Deborah Crooks on this song.

She conjures some great alchemy in the tune without even raising a bead of sweat on her brow. Nice guitar conclusion...well picked and classy.

“Wolf Birds,” is quite the opposite of “Be Kind.” Deborah displays a more bluesy-ballad ballsy vocal approach. A little like the powerful female vocalist Genya Ravan (Ten Wheel Drive) when she sang some of her songs slower. The lyrics for the most part are consistently clever, creative and the steady splash of cymbals in the back ground lead a creepy, but beautiful support just under the surface of Copeland’s un-intrusive guitar.

With “Going Doing,” Deborah tells a story and baby boomers are going relate immediately. Nice, speedy Mike Stevens percussion moves the song along despite its relatively slow nature. Had Mike done it any other way this pleasant song could've been dragged down. Yet, that drive is stimulating and no matter what Deborah sings listening is easy. Then Copeland opens up on lead guitar with a nice wall of chords. A shift in the action that is what made much of 70’s rock exciting. This must have been thought out. Crooks’ bluesy controlled manner is what the song needed and got. “Where are you going…what are you doing…” a great hook line in the context of the song. This continues to show me there are still some great artists out there that continue to pioneer fine rock music in the tradition of the originals. This is what I wait for. - No Depression