Review Fix Exclusive: DEEANN Talks ‘It’s My Time’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter DEEANN, who discusses her career and new album, “It’s My Time.”

About DEEANN and It’s My Time:

The tragedy of losing her 23-year-old son William Michael Tompkins to a motorcycle accident, after she and Odel had completed most of the tracks of “It’s My Time’ threw DeeAnn’s life into a tailspin and delayed the project indefinitely.  Her original concept was to record analbum of old standards, and the two had 90 percent of them.    

When DeeAnn came back to the project she added a few new, very personal songs, starting with a heartrending, gospel-influenced version of “You Are My Sunshine”, a song she sang to William to put him to sleep when he was a child.  Odel’s sensitive yet rousing and inspirational production features members of the Buffalo Philharmonic String Quartet (Roman Mekhulnov).

Another original tune she added, the soulful ballad, “A Little Romance,” is a homage to the “angels” who helped her during her lowest points: “You help me pray, when my faith is shaken/You give me hope, help my soul awaken.” The other originals are the passionate love ballad “Here to Stay” and “Writing on the Wall,” a whimsical, hard hitting, brassy blues-rock breakup song, a duet with Mick Hayes that balances the poignancy of the album.  

The other tracks on It’s My Time reveal DeeAnn as a masterful song interpreter and storyteller who turns words and melodies of legendary writers and artists into her own emotional narratives.  Drawing from a wide range of styles and eras, these include “Blue Skies,” “Summertime,” “Killing Me Softly,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Nearness of You” and “Fine and Mellow.”

Review Fix: How important is family to you?

DEEANN: Family means everything to me. I cherish the time I can spend with them. I was blessed to be able to stay home when my kids were young.  At that time, I began to sing more in church and taught music, grades Pre-K – 8th. My family has always been there for me in the good times and bad. 

Review Fix: How do they influence your music?

DEEANN: My father, being a renowned jazz singer in his own time, was my mentor since I was a child. Throughout my life, he encouraged me to keep singing while simultaneously offering his constructive criticism.Everybody’s Got a Story” was written in 2015, following the loss of my brother. You never know what people are going through when they cross your path, which inspired the lyric, Everybody’s Got a story, everybody’s got a cross to bear, everybody’s got something to say, so shine your light, and spread your Love”.  

Review Fix: What makes this a special album?

DEEANN: It’s my first album where I focused more on jazz standards. The arrangements provide a modern spin on the Great American Songbook, giving these great compositions a sonic facelift. I enjoy singing different genres, but jazz is where I feel at home, and most comfortable to express myself freely, with no limitations.  

Review Fix: What tracks mean the most to you?

DEEANN: “A Little Romance”:  I wrote it as an homage to all the “angels” who have surrounded me during the most difficult times of my life. 

-“Writing on the Wall”: This original song is a funky and bluesy duet, featuring guitarist/singer-songwriter, Mick Hayes, whose most recent release, My Claim to Fame, is currently receiving national airplay.  

-“You Are My Sunshine”: This is dedicated to my late son William. I used to sing this song to him every night to put him to sleep.    

Review Fix: For someone who’s never listened to ya, why this album?

DEEANN: This is my third album.  I have grown as a jazz singer and I was excited to focus mainly on standards.  I love the creative arrangements by my Grammy-nominated producer, RiShon Odel (Brian Culbertson, Najee).  The musicians, especially my featured guests, Jessica Pina, Brent Birckhead, and Roman Mekhulnov (Buffalo Philharmonic String Quartet) have all added their impeccable talents to the album.   

Review Fix: What’s next?

DEEANN: I’m looking forward to collaborating with more musicians in both performance and composition. I have plans to start working on a new album this fall. I’m grateful for the radio airplay I am currently receiving with Neal Sapper and the New World ‘n’ Jazz Team, and for opportunities such as this bestowed upon me by my publicist Tom Estey. Two noteworthy upcoming performances with my quintet are at Pausa Art House on July 18th, and the Northwest Jazz Festival on August 24th at 3:45 PM on the Center Stage.  I can also be found weekly on Wednesdays from Noon to 2 PM at the legendary Sportsmen’s Tavern in Buffalo, NY.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

DEEANN: Music is healing and fun! My fans tell me how my music makes them feel blessed and gratified.  As an educator, I witnessed the confidence, joy and self-esteem displayed by my students. I worked with developmentally disabled adults and observed their strength, courage and happiness being lifted. I also help adults with dementia and it is astounding to watch music awaken their spirits and bring such joy and laughter to them.  

Review Fix: Where can people find out more? 

DEEANN: My website is https://deeannmusic.com/

My social media links are on the website. The links to my albums are also available to listen to and/or download. News and updates are always available and you can subscribe to my site.   

You may also listen and/or subscribe to my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@deeanndimeo208

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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