Carol Duboc: Duboc

Those who believe that lightning never strikes twice are advised to lend an ear to Carol Duboc’s sophomore CD, Duboc (Gold Note). Building on the deserved success of last year’s With All That I Am, Duboc is back with a dozen fresh tracks, including nine new originals, that provide that crystalline voice of hers quite a workout. Demonstrating heightened dexterity, she alternates from the Motownesque electricity of “This Is No Ordinary Lover” and red-hot, discoish fervor of “It’s a Feeling” to the country-rock feel of “I Wanna Love Someone” and purposeful naivete of the self-delusional “Secrets.” Rounding out this inspired collection are two Bacharach-David covers-a heartbreakingly earnest “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and a perfectly chilled “Walk On By”-and a spicy “El Gaucho” on which Duboc ably evokes the seductive otherworldliness of Lani Hall.

Originally Published October 1, 2002