Reviews
Jazz Times
It would be unfair to refer to Deborah Winters as unvarnished, for she is about as polished as jazz vocalists come. But there is a back-to-basics purity about her work that is tremendously appealing. A longtime favorite among jazz-savvy San Franciscans, Winters is refreshingly free of affectation: no vocal acrobatics, no flashy gestures, no showboating– just good songs superbly, straightforwardly interpreted. She tiptoes into the album, with silken, almost whispered readings of the title track and "How and I to Know." But don't let the quietude fool you. There's no lack of range or depth; she simply never overplays her hand. Winters' gently beatific handling of Ellington's "Come Sunday" is among the finest ever rendered. But equal credit for the album's intrinsic loveliness must go to Peter Welker. He wrote all of the orchestral arrangements, demonstrating the same sort of sharp appreciation for Winters' needs, wants and capabilities as Nelson Riddle had for Sinatra's.
allaboutjazz.com
"On Lovers After All, the Bay Area-based vocalist establishes herself as a ballad singer with which to be reckoned. She can sing over swing with confidence ("Get Out Of Town") and sway to the subtle sounds of the bossa nova ("Haunted Heart"), but her ballad work eclipses all else. Her voice has depth and warmth that instantly soothes and seduces ..." ~Dan Bilawsky
@CriticalJazz
"Winters steps out with a unique vocal hybrid that breaths new life into old classics and stretches out an infectious lyrical style that is captivating and fresh. As often said, this is "old school" becoming "new cool." The true measure of any artist is the ability to take on an iconic piece of work and make it your own without disrespecting the either the original or yourself and Winters scores big here with stunning renditions of "For All We Know" and "How Deep Is The Ocean." ~Brent Black
acousticmusic.com
"With that heart-shaped face and posture whispering of playful seduction, Deborah Winters looks like Debbie Harry in her prime but sure as hell doesn't sing like Blondie's overhyped chanteuse, instead bringing the American Songbook days rushing back in a big way - and without any of the overt brassiness such a descriptive might accidentally infer. Winters is silky smooth even while at her most freespirited, as in the scatty melismatics in How am I to Know..." ~Mark S. Tucker
girlsingers.org
"I don’t know Deborah Winters’ age. And that’s not really the point. The point is this – that in a world of winsome girl singers, it’s refreshing to hear someone who sounds like they’ve really been there, and done that. No girl singer. A woman, singing. She had me from the first track, the title track. Music by Johnny Mandel, but Ms. Winters puts just the right spin on Richard Rodney Bennett’s wonderful lyrics about two people who have seen, and been through it all ..." ~Doug Boynton