Home

Album Review

Home is the third album from Deb Pasternak in six years, following 2000s Eleven which came three years after her 1997 debut, More. On track four she aggressively tells us "I want more," and it is said in such a catchy way and with such surety it's obvious the goal's already been achieved. At times Pasternak follows vocal tones set by Sheryl Crow, but the musical explorations are unique and have a special clarity, with Chris Rival's guitar work glued to and playing against Tom West's ever-present keys. "It's All Over" takes things a step further, the band now branching out and enveloping the singer; Rival more penetrating with guitar lines that tear "Room In Heaven" wide open. The shift is from pop/blues to hard pop, verging at times on metal. Just when the listener is getting the lullaby, Pasternak hits you with a lyrical and musical splash like "The Road"; chugging guitar emphasizing some simmering anger: "I've got lifetimes of hate/I'll show you how I cope" — the sentiment Alice Cooper gave the world on his Brutal Planet CD. It's the ground Marianne Faithfull and Nico pioneered, though Deb Pasternak keeps the proceedings from falling too deep into the underground. On Home, the group has found an edge that Rolling Stones' fans wish Mick and Company would embrace again. Where Jagger/Richards have refined and homogenized their studio recordings in the 90s and the new millennium, Deb Pasternak makes it clean enough to be presentable, but raw enough to keep your attention. The lyrics are as strong as they were on the second album, Eleven, though this time the band takes more risks and moves the music to other regions and extremes. "No Need To Venture Outside" is cabaret/jazz/cocktail/lounge music coming right after the acidic "Room In Heaven," while the singer's vocal shows maturity and an identity all its own. Richard Gates' bass has taken the place of the guitar and finds itself next to West's piano work: a real about-face that gives the listener a breather. Home is an even more adventurous and successful combination of styles than the fine effort that came before, and it begs repeated listenings; words and music both eloquent and simple; a tough balancing act that they pull off with immediate charm.