Carol Duboc – With All That I Am

Carol Duboc
With All That I Am
(Gold Note Music – 2001)
  by S.H. Watkins, Sr.

Carol Duboc came along at the end of the year and made my 10-best of 2001 list, that’s how much I like this release. Her voice is sultry and steady, sometimes evoking the smooth soulfulness of an Anita Baker, other times a vibrant and bouncy songbird a la Dee Dee Bridgewater or Flora Purim. To make it even better Carol wrote or co-wrote ALL of the songs on this marvelous CD. Throw in the sidemen the likes of Hubert Laws and Gerald Albright and you’ve got one for the ages.

The CD starts out with my favorite track, 2nd Nature, where Duboc’s smooth vocals are accompanied by the lilting flute lines of Hubert Laws. Back Home is a slow and sultry piece featuring Gerald Albright’s warm sax stylings. The title track, I Wanna Know is uptempo with more of a “big” feel to it, again well augmented by Albright’s sweet saxology. The Promise follows with more of that same smooth groove. Moody has a distinctively Latin flavor while still having that ‘Duboc’ feel to it… cool groove. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the entire CD is good. As a singer/songwriter musician and arranger Carol has worked with the likes of George Duke, maurice White, Joe Sample, Hubert Laws, Jeff Lorber, Stephanie Mills and Chante Moore, so it’s no wonder that her debut CD is so together. There are no duds here, and I’m glad Carol Duboc has come into my musical life.