Deena, also known as the singer of The Cucumbers, has struck out with a solo album. Her voice is as charming as I found it when I reviewed The Cucumbers' album. It has the same sort of dreamy quality you can find in singers like Hope Sandoval and the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni. The album kicks off with the title track. "Somewhere in Blue" is a richly textured song with a heavy Bakersfield influence. It has a little twang and a little of that sort of distant, slightly psychedelic guitar. Paired with her sweet voice, this is a real good way to get the album going. She follows that with "Mr. Midnight," which is a power-pop song not unlike you would hear from Lush.
She delves deeper into the twangy sound with both "I Wish I Could Be Enough" and "Why Do Hearts Grow Cold?" "I Wish I could Be Enough" features some great harmonica. All in all, this sounds like the sort of song you'd hear around a campfire for one of those "out on the trail" movies. "Why Do Hearts Grow Cold?" is just a cool rootsy song featuring Deena on the banjo.
Deena shows even greater range with "What the Love [Are You Gonna Do?]" This is a groovy-funky-psychedelic tune that got my head moving.
This album is a bit like a sampler platter, filled with a bunch of good stuff. There are plenty of good Bakersfield-influenced songs, some poppy gems, some rockabilly ("Best Kind of Something"), and lots of excellent harmony vocals. Deena never strains her voice. These are fairly simple songs delivered in a real straightforward style. Deena delivers the goods with an album that is bound to get your toe tapping and your head moving.
