Soulful, passionate and gifted. If someone asked me to describe Deb Montgomery in three words, those would be the three. But what works beautifully about this is that not only do those three adjectives wonderfully describe the overall mood and impact of her upcoming EP, the excellent All The Water, those three adjectives perfectly describe her undoubted knack as a lyricist.
Through five wonderfully melancholy tracks, Deb Montgomery clearly defines her intent; and that is to be one of the greatest working singer-songwriters today. And mark my words- she is well on her way.
On the opening track, “All the Water”, Montgomery haunting vocal delivery perfectly lays a top a bed of folk-pop acoustic guitars, claps and bangs in a mesmerizing syncopation. Her voice consistently builds with emotion and desire while the music grows underneath- like a sonic volcano ready to explode with emotion.
“Dig For Diamonds” possesses a great throwback quality. No doubt modern, the song possesses certain characteristics reminiscent of the heyday of mid 90’s indie singer-songwriter glory. The tracks guitar solo and heavily reverb-ed drums definitely play into that. But again, as it is throughout most All In The Water, Deb Montgomery’s voice takes center stage. It really lies in the character of her voice and her cadence- or delivery. She alternates between sweet and soulful. Patient and forthcoming.
You get the idea through All The Water that Montgomery is only letting us see the surface of her talent and capability. And honestly- that is scary considering the power of All The Water. Montgomery’s band consists of eight musicians on this EP and with that, she has created a folk-pop-rock-Slipknot of sorts. The musicianship is top notch throughout. There is a definitive theme- and vibe, but with each passing song that only seems to morph and evolve into a thoroughly well-rounded piece of music that stands more than a collective piece of art than individual tracks.
That said, it doesn’t get any better than “Hold On”. This is a Top 40 single. There is no question. The chorus is seriously begging to be sang along with. In anticipation of the October 13th release of All The Water, “Hold On” will sit on repeat.
If you love 90’s pop-rock with a hint of folk and some serious vocal chops reminiscent of The Cranberries, Deb Montgomery needs to be the next band you discover! Go. Listen now! Don’t tell me to…hold on!
