Donna Colton: Press

Top 10 CD's of the Year

To pick my 10 favorite Central New York CD's for 2007, I perused the pile of local music that came my way. To the right went the ones that I'd put on my list without second thoughts.
It became a mountain of music, 35 CD's in all. That's good news... very good news.
First the good: Many local musicians are making memorable music.
Now the very good. Here are my Top 10 for 2007:

1. Donna Colton & the Troublemakers, "Tryst".
Colton's always-rich voice seems to reach even greater heights on this collection of songs mostly co-written with partner Sam Patterelli. Backed by the Troublemakers --- Patterelli on guitars and bass and Dave Salce on drums --- Colton comfortably and confidently strides down well-chosen roots-rock paths.
If the life's-good imagery in the song "Summer Face" doesn't make you smile, you're an incurable grump.

A little bit country, a little bit blues and a lot of heart --- that's New York based Donna Colton. Donna owns every syllable. She sings with a compelling kind of womanly swagger, not unlike that of Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt and Loretta Lynn. She strums some heartache, some wistful dreaming, but also and impassioned social commentary. "They try to hold you down if you're ethnic or you're queer, 'cause terrorists and liberals are the sum of all their fears," she sings on "Time For A Change" a breezy number that would make a good campaign ad. All told, a fine-sounding band.

Regular Band, special guests back Colton on new CD

Donna Colton enlisted some Troublemakers to make sweet noise on her new CD "Tryst". Great move. With the help of her trusty regular band mates, Sam Patterelli on guitars and bass and Dave Salce on drums, Colton showcases the big, rich, powerful voice that's entertained Central New Yorkers for two decades worth of live shows now.
Colton and Patterelli ably share the bulk of the writing duty, too, taking credit for nine tunes --- one by Colton solo (the sad breakup song "Another Love"), one by Patterelli alone (the epic protest closer "Time For A Change") and the rest together.
They add the rest-easy ballad "Just Let It Go" from Colton's cousin Leo Visconti, Joni Mitchell's spicy "Carey" and the soulful "Ring The Living Bell" by Melanie Safka.
Good friends add intoxicating layers throughout.
Karen Savoca's lovely harmony vocals enrich "Just Let It Go" and "Share My Love". Savoca's longtime CNY guitar star, Pete Heitzman, jangles richly on "Just Let It Go" and "Summer Face." Los Blancos keyboardist Mark Nanni adds a lovely harmonica riff to "Another Love" and dynamic organ to "Time For A Change." Syracuse veteran Arty Lenin's lead guitar sends an energy bolt through the swinging title cut, a wonderful tune that plays over in your head for hours afterrward.

Joe Davoli on fiddle, Ron Keck on perrcussion, Dave DeSiro on triangle and shaker, Julius Williams on percussion, Marcia Hagan, Jennifer "Tee" DAvis and Cathy Goode on sould chorus, spring peepers making their natural nighttime racket. That's a little help from your friends.
Nevertheless, Colton's voice rightly shines on center stage and serves as the glue for it all.
The CD was amstered by Peter Moshay at his own A-Pawling Studios downstate.
He offerred these words of praise:
"Donna not only sings with amazing power, control and conviction, when I hear her sing her songs, It's like seeing a movie, too. A true master, and her CD's are filled with great songs."
That's something, coming from a man who'd mixed the work of Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Hall & Oates.

Sometimes listening to singer/songwriters can be a tedious engagement. You often get the feeling that other than one or two good songs for the radio, they just write songs to fill up a set list. But with singer/songwriter Donna Colton, the joy she takes in both her songwriting and performance --- permeates throughout most of her music. And that joy transmits to the listener.

Colton's artistic sensibility has a strong presence of gritty femininity, as in the likes of the Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge. And likewise, Colton's musical repertoire skids between the coffeehouse folk sound of the Indigo Girls and the blues/rock sound of Etheridge. Colton's sultry voice and laid back rhythmic guitar work acroos both of these genres, but she definitely shines far more in crafting acoustic folk gems than in bellowing her bluesy standbys.

Her best songs have melodies that are energetic and theatrical, and lyrics that create real characters and situations. "Killing the Day" is a joyful, poetic romp. "Evening Ride" is a wistful lover's tribute to laid back love.

Overall, Colton suggests she might turn up on blues night at the neighborhood bar, but she is undoubtedly a lot more at home in a downtown coffeehouse.