Philadelphia’s blues-soul singer/songwriter Deb Callahan released her fifth CD, Sweet Soul, on Blue Pearl Records. The CD, produced by renowned producer and drummer Tony Braunagel, was recorded at Ultratone Studios in Los Angeles, California. Deb and guitar player Allen James travelled to Los Angeles in February 2015 to record the tracks with an all star studio line-up including Johnny Lee Schell, engineering and slide guitar, Mike Finnigan on keyboards, Reggie McBride on bass, Braunagel on drums and James on guitar. This group of musicians have recorded and toured with performers such as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal so it was, “a truly wonderful experience to play with and learn from each one,” says Deb.
It’s been almost 5 years since Deb’s last CD, Tell It Like It Is, was released. Shortly after this release, Deb became a mom to her now 4 year old son Elijah. The experience of being a new mom has had a direct impact on her writing and focus in her life. The songs from Sweet Soul were written during an overall sweet and rich phase of life. Deb worked with James and Chris Arms (who produced Deb’s last three CD’s) to write the original material and in tandem with producer Braunagel to find some gems written by others that fit the vibe as well. The mood of this blues, soul roots CD is upbeat, rockin, funky and fun and explores the theme of love and family with an honest and at times humorous view into both its joys and challenges. This includes the experience of loving a child or partner, the connection and sweetness you feel when you slow down and just be present with ones you love, the pain and difficulty of letting go of a family member, the ups and downs of living with someone, the inner tension about balancing family and career, the energy it takes to keep things running to do a lot of different things in life.
