Popa's Tunes: Deena NEW Album Rock River

Monday, August 11, 2014

Deena NEW Album Rock River

Sometimes it seems I live under a rock (see what I did there) when it comes to my own backyard, Deena has been a NJ staple as co-founder of The Cucumbers, a leading band in the 80s indie pop scene in Hoboken, NJ, with reviews in Rolling Stone and People Magazine and videos on MTV.
Though released in March her 2nd solo release 'Rock River' coming to my attention in the dog days of summer, has me skipping rocks, skip to my lou or other such things I did in my youth during hazy lazy summers.
Her charming retro vocals make me feel nostalgic for simple things and simple days as the songs flow like calm, mesmerizing ripples. The album has twelve songs, each mixed with a blend of alt country and indie pop with harmonious layers and catchy hooks that had me hitting repeat and singing along. One of my favorites is the jazzy/shaker 'My Friend Superman' with it's affirming chours...

If I can be the man I am/I can be a superman/A super-duper-duper man/

Super-super-super man, Superman, Superman!

Another stand out for me is 'All She Wrote' with its nod to soulful, deep, playful and jazzy 40's female crooners......

I’ve got four beats with triplets inside

I’ve had sweet dreams since I was a bride

I played show tunes and I learned how to drive

And we keep on rowing to the other side

All in all this is an album that I'll keep coming back to this summer and longer.

Click to purchase on iTunes or CDBaby

Deena's songwriting has been called "direct and artful," by the New York Times, her voice "…incredible: kidstuff and wisdom merged," by the Village Voice. Her songs have been recorded by Jackson Browne and Dar Williams and featured in films and on network TV.

Deena's other projects include RockDownBaby (lo-fi dance pop), Over The Moon (original rock and roll for children), and SingSOS: Songs of the Spectrum. She is co-host of The Saturday Afternoon Songswap music series and radio show, and a member of the TaikoZoku drumming ensemble.