Deborah Harry Album: “Debravation”

It's quite unfair that people had to learn the difference between Blondie and Deborah Harry at the expense of the singer's solo career. Though she was largely the reason Blondie was so successful, Harry never drew the same crowds on her own. None of her solo work is bad, but Harry was never able to establish a musical identity of her own. Consequently, she's often grasping at straws, jumping between Madonna-esque dance tracks (clearly the path most record companies wanted her to take), campy rap numbers and Blondie sound-alikes. "Debravation," Harry's last solo effort to date, follows the same mish-mash approach of its predecessor, "Def, Dumb & Blonde," but not as successfully. Things get off to a promising start with "I Can See Clearly," a catchy dance tune perfect for Harry's voice, followed by the quirky "Stability," which showcases the singer's deadpan sense of humor. From there, though, Harry starts wandering down the middle of the road, with forgettable ballads ("Strike Me Pink," "Mood Ring") and overblown pop songs ("Rain"). This CD's nadir is "Communion." Using the liturgy of communion as a metaphor for sex ("Take! Eat! This is my body!"), it's sung too earnestly to be a parody, but the tacky lyrics and cheesy arrangement make the song too silly to be enjoyable. I don't know if Harry should be more embarrassed for recording it or having a hand in writing it. Things improve later on, with "Standing In My Way"--a definite nod toward Harry's Blondie days--and the tribal groove of "Dog Star Girl." Perhaps the best tracks, though, are the bonus ones: "My Last Date with You" (with REM) and "Tear Drops." These do-wop gems are ideally suited for Harry, and she performs them expertly. Too bad her best perfomances are tacked on as a CD extra.

Many people are not aware of it, but after 1982's "The Hunter" Blondie album, Deborah Harry continued to record, cowriting songs with Blondie collaborator Chris Stein. In 1986, she released "Rockbird", in 1989 she released "Def, Dumb, and Blonde", in 1993, she released "Debravation". In 1999 Blondie released "No Exit" and in 2003 "The Curse of Blondie". Her most recent solo effort was written without Chris Stein of Blondie, in 2007 "Necessary Evil". In 2010, Blondie will release a new album. Blondie and Deborah Harry did not disappear in 1982, they just stopped releasing a new album every year.

"Debravation" her third solo release includes memorable tracks: "I Can See Clearly" (not a cover of an older song of the same name), "Strike Me Pink", and "My Last Date with You" a cover of the old C&W song with REM.

After reading some rather puzzling reviews that would steer even a devoted fan away, I decided to give you a real review by a real fan.

"Debravation" is a step up from it's predecessor, 1989's "Def Dumb & Blonde". On this album, Debbie seems to have figued out how to balance her desire to experiment with the record company's demand for the perfect album. And instead of trying to avoid being associated with Blondie, she readily uses their best skill of various styled songs to produce an album that actually seems more sure of her solo abilities.

As on "Def Dumb & Blonde", "Debravation" utilizes multiple producers and outside collaborators. But this time, they are more involved than on the previous disc. By using the other artists more and Chris Stein less, Debbie is finally able to do a Debbie Harry album.

"Debravation" has contributions of very talented yet under appreciated musicians such as Anne Dudley from Art Of Noise (on "Strike Me Pink") and Jon Astley (on "Keep On Going"). Also lending his skills is current Blondie bassist Leigh Foxx, who co-wrote the high-energy rocker "Standing In My Way". Add to this the still important genius of Chris Stein (who else would think to set Willam Gibson to futuristic funk?) and you get the most intriguing solo effort since "KooKoo" in 1981. And this one seems less afraid of the Blondie legacy than any of her recordings during her hiatus. "Debravation" is able to run a parallel line along side any Blondie release. It shows that Debbie was more than just a pretty face to sell the product of some very talented men. She was as much a force in Blondie as Chris, Jimmy, Clem, Gary, Nigel or Frank and this album is the proof.

Now, it is known among the devotees that Debbie and Chris weren't totally satisfied with this album. But that goes with the territory in a business where true geniuses are locked in a mortal battle for control of their artistic souls with record company executives, who prefer to churn out mindless repetition of that artist's first successful hit. That struggle is why you get songs like "Rain" and "Communion". But these two compromises should not be used to discredit an entire album. Rather, the listener should admire what Debbie was able to do to both tweak the listener's ear (with the "saintly" smuttiness of the latter song) and still please her label. Debbie embraces the supposed Madonna knock-off "Communion", and it really comes across as very conscious effort to do to Madonna for one song what Madonna has done to Debbie for her entire career. I say brava!

This CD is really worth adding to your collection, whether you are grooming yourself to be a Deb-head or are just a casual listener wanting to hear something other than another teeny-bopper concoction.

I decided to purchase "Debravation" after I heard "I Can See Clearly." It is a mid-tempo dance song and fun to listen to. However, when I listened to the rest of the album, I was not as impressed as I was with some of Debbie's other solo albums. It is not terrible by any means, but it is certainly not Debbie's best solo album. There are a few standouts though. Of course, "I Can See Clearly" is one of the best songs on the album, and "Standing In My Way" is a standout as well. It sounds much like Blondie's newer material, and it is fun to sing along to! "Strike Me Pink" is a very calm song. "Lip Service" sounds like it could have been a club song. "Dancing Down the Moon" is also upbeat, and "Dog Star Girl" is an usual song, but it is also an album standout. All in all, if you are a Debbie fan, you will probably enjoy the majority of this album!

Like most of Deborah Harry's solo work, there's too much going on to hold the album together. It's been plaguing her work from "AutoAmerican" on, even if "AutoAmerican" had the huge hit by way of "Rapture" on it. "AA" also had "The Tide Is High," which meant that you had a reggae and rap song on the same disc bouncing you from planet to planet. At that time, it sold in tonnage. Years later, it reeks of formula.

"Debravation" starts off promisingly enough, with the Madonna-esque "I Can See Clearly." Obviously a nod to the influence Blondie had over the material girl, it's a danceable confection and promises a fun album to come. Then you get strained "Stability," which includes some rapping and tries to ape hip-hop. Doesn't work. From that point on, it's strictly hit and miss. Unlike most of the other reviewers here, I thought "Communion" to be a real hoot, and very in synch with the kind of satiric goodies that Blondie would have delivered with verve.

More interesting is the Science Fiction collaboration "Dog Star Girl." Co-written with William Gibson (the classics "Neuromancer" and "Mona Lisa Overdrive"), it steers Deborah in a fresh direction that the rest of "Debravation" didn't want to risk. Hypnotic and lyrically interesting, as opposed to a greater part of the disc's predictability. Of equal interest are the CD's final two cuts, covers of a pair of Doo-Wop hits. "My Last Date" fares best of the two, including backing from REM!

Unfortunately, "Debravation" spends too much time on familiar ground, hop-scotching from place to place without really making sense of the map. The reformed Blondie provided proof to the theory of band chemistry by making the superior "No Exit" and "The Curse Of Blondie" albums. Also, "Most Of All," the import collection of solo Harry, contains "I Can See Clearly," "Strike Me Pink" and a single edit of "Communion." It's a strong culling to the best of Deborah's four solo albums and a couple soundtrack singles. While may be a little pricey, it holds together better than any of the solo discs.