With a voice that's clear and effortlessly melodic, a guitar style that pivots between fluid fingerstyle and syncopated rhythms, and lyrics that reveal intelligence and heart, Debra Fotheringham provides the complete package of musicianship.

10 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk Pop, JAZZ: Jazz Vocals



Details:
Solitude is most often the birthplace of artistry. Such was the case for Utah-born singer/songwriter Debra Fotheringham. Her passion for songwriting began as a teenager in the quiet of late nights alone. Given as a Christmas gift at the age of thirteen, Debra's guitar quickly became the fulcrum for her creative energy. After failed attempts at learning the violin and the trumpet, the guitar was the perfect fit, because it uncovered and facilitated Debra's most expressive giftâ¦her voice. Called clear, clean, and effortlessly melodic, Debraâs voice can be smooth and lyrical one moment, while rich and emotional the next. Debra uses her voice like an instrument, guiding listeners through the dynamics of the music...and the meaning.

A writer as soon as she learned to write, Debraâs lyrics reflect her longtime fascination with the interplay of words. She uses them to create lyrics that reveal intelligence and heart, and explore the world beyond casual observation.

Influenced by her jazz-musician fatherâs extensive music library, Debraâs music incorporates bits and pieces of the sounds she grew up withâthe soulful singing of jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald and Julie London, and the exotic percussive rhythms of Brazilian artists like Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Gifted with an innate sense of rhythm, Debra quickly found expression on hand drums such as the African djembe and the Middle-Eastern doumbek. These world beats transferred to her guitar work as well, helping her create songs with direct, provocative, and effortless sounding rhythms.

A little bit jazz, a little bit folk, a little bit rock, a little bit pop, a little bit bluegrassâDebraâs music is hard to pin down. Its earthy physicality has a wonderful and tangible immediacy, but defies most common descriptors and genres.

Deann Kennedy