Destination Moon

Product Description:

Personnel: Deborah Cox (background vocals); David Spinozza (guitar); Emily Mitchell (harp); Karen Karlsrud, Rob Shaw, Eriko Sato, Kristina Musser, Abe Appleman, Barry Finclair, Karl Kawahara, Suzanne Ornstein, Jean Ingraham, Avril Brown, Katherine Livolsi Stern, Ann Leathers (violin); Jill Jaffe, Karen Dreyfus, Juliet Haffner, Craig Mumm (viola); Clay Ruede, Semyon Fridman, Jeanne LeBlanc, Richard Locker (cello); Liz Mann (flute); Virgil Blackwell (bass clarinet); Bill Meredith (English horn); Mark Goldberg (bassoon); Dave Riekenberg, Marc Phaneuf (alto saxophone); Charlie Pillow, Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone); Roger Rosenberg (baritone saxophone); Alex Sipiaguine, Jeff Kievit, Lew Soloff, Tony Kadleck, Jim Hynes (trumpet); Peter Gordon, Stewart Rose, Bob Carlisle (French horn); Michael Boschien, John Fedchock, Birch Johnson (trombone); Jeff Nelson (bass trombone); Rob Mounsey (piano); Lou Kosma, David Finck (bass guitar); Victor Lewis (drums).

Contemporary R&B singer Deborah Cox mixed things up a bit with her 2007 release, DESTINATION MOON. Instead of the artist's usual commercially tailored dance-pop, DESTINATION MOON is a tip of the hat to old-school legend Dinah Washington. Cox claims to be deeply influenced by Washington, and a fan since she was a young girl.

Cox borrows songs from across Washington's oeuvre and, with the help of top-shelf arranger Rob Mounsey, takes them for a heartfelt test drive. Naturally, Washington classics like "What a Difference a Day Makes" and "This Bitter Earth" sound quite different with Cox on the mic--her clean, elastic voice is almost the polar opposite of Washington's textured tone--but the album is elegantly assembled and makes for a compelling listen for Cox and Washington fans alike.