JANICE DEARDORFF
Part of the West
Part of the West – If The Fields Could Speak –
Cowgirl at Heart – Don’t Fence Me In – Didn’t Know – Dusty Vail – Man
with the Big Hat – Under the Rimrock – Ghost Riders in the Sky – There’s
No Tortillas – That’s The Way I Feel About You – All Aboard
Janice Deardorff is a most interesting ‘western’
style singer and songwriter. I suspect this particular CD was made to
showcase some of her very very good western style song creations.
Having perfect pitch, my ears get me in trouble sometimes, especially
when Janice dips down to some of her low notes on the first song.
Certainly not a bother to most, but I find it intriguing. It also sort
of captures an ‘Americana’ sound that we don’t normally get to hear.
Meaning, she is a ‘natural’ at what she does, but her songwriting is
most appealing. She included three non-self composed songs, and her
rendition of “Don’t Fence Me In” sounds like it might be Marilyn Monroe
singing. That’s not bad, that’s a high compliment. A nice rendition of
“Man With The Big Hat” and “Ghost Riders In The Sky” all of which are
nice alternatives to her own super songwriting abilities. It’s her
original songs that really attract attention. From her bio, “Janice
Deardorff grew up immersed in songs of the west and she’s an Arizona
(Tucson) native. Her roots, an eclectic blend of Western Americana,
cowboy music, ranch tunes from around the campfire and classic love
songs fill her heart and soul.” This very attractive lady definitely has
a strong hold on what she wants to accomplish with music. I love her
Martin guitar sound, just right for what she is doing. BUT, she also
incorporated some incredibly interesting side-kick musicians. Bill Ganz;
Bill Rondstad; Sarah Deardorff; Tony Redhouse; Alvin Blaine; and Nick
Coventry. We need more artists in the ‘western’ and ‘country’ music
world like Janice. She’s original and she’s a terrific writer. She’s
also an educator and that might even be more important, especially
‘sharing’ her talent with the stories of how and why she does what she
does. She’s also a Christian with a definite roll to play inside her
own original music. Much continued success to this nice lady. I’m
sending this CD off to the Rural Roots Music Commission to see what they
think for their CD of the Year awards. Good luck Janice.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, PRESIDENT, National Traditional Country Music Association, www.music-savers.com for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
One Response
Mr. Everhart I am happy to know that you are the President of the NTCMA. i LIKE TO READ YOUR REVIEWS IN A BIG-CHUNK BUT most certainly word by word and word for word! Hope to see more from you. Ms.Deardorff sounds fascinating, I am sure I could google a preview of her tracks and hear for myself, so thanks and read you more!