Deborah Coleman makes her bid for mainstream popularity on Soft Place to Fall (Blind Pig BPCD 5061; 43:52). Her third album for the label only occasionally touches down on the blues, with the exception of two shuffles, “So Damn Easy” and “What Goes Around,” the confessional minor key slow blues “Another Hoping Fool,” the boogie “Don’t Lie to Me” (more ZZ Top than John Lee Hooker), a distaff take on Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man” and another sluggish, overproduced boogie “The Day It Comes” (more Dire Straits than Hound Dog Taylor). Truth is, Coleman is not the great guitarist that she’s made out to be and she’s only a mediocre singer. Bottom line: Don’t believe the hype.
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