Multi-Faceted Vocalist Deb Bowman Salutes Great Songwriters on Her 4th Jazz Album REFLECTION

Out April 11, 2025 on Mama Bama Records

Celebrated vocalist and actress Deb Bowman returns with her fourth jazz album, Reflection, an evocative and genre-blending tribute to timeless songwriting and emotional storytelling. Releasing April 11, 2025 on Mama Bama Records, the album showcases Bowman’s deep musical range and her commitment to honoring legendary composers like Stephen Sondheim, Michel Legrand, and Burt Bacharach—while also incorporating her signature style infused with jazz, gospel, pop, Broadway, and Latin flair.

Originally envisioned as a focused tribute to Sondheim, Legrand, and Bacharach following their passing between 2019 and 2023, Reflection evolved during its two-year recording journey across three states. The delay, due to life circumstances, became a creative blessing. With time to reflect and rework her vision, Bowman expanded the album’s scope to include works by Lorenz Hart, Henry Mancini, Howard Ashman, and Meredith Willson, among others.

“I realized this project wasn’t just about tribute—it was about connection. Each song started revealing something personal to me,” says Bowman.

Reimagined Classics with Emotional Depth

Bowman collaborated with musical director and pianist Dean Fransen to craft fresh, emotionally layered arrangements. Their version of Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” opens the album with a surprising Latin twist—honoring the song’s drama while infusing it with rhythmic elegance.

Other standouts include:

• A soul-infused take on “This Girl’s in Love with You” inspired by Aretha Franklin, anchored by Jim Donica on bass and Jakubu Griffin on drums.

• A cinematic, thunderstorm-bathed “Over the Rainbow” that seamlessly shifts into Latin rhythms, evoking Dorothy’s step into Oz.

• A tender duet version of “Baby Mine” that closes the album with heartfelt simplicity.

Bowman’s performance of “Moon River,” a song she holds close, offers a deeply personal interpretation, drawing listeners into the delicate ambiguity of Johnny Mercer’s lyrics. The haunting “She Was Too Good to Me” opens with a rarely heard verse, enriching its emotional weight.

A Voice with Theatrical Soul

Bowman’s Broadway roots and storytelling sensibility shine throughout Reflection. Known for acclaimed roles in Cabaret, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, and Evita, her performances carry a theatrical soul, allowing each lyric to land with meaning. Film and TV fans may recognize her from Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, Wall Street 2, or Stargirl.

Currently based in Atlanta, Bowman performs in both grand orchestral and intimate settings, while mentoring rising vocal talent as a professional voice coach.

Reflection cements Bowman’s position as a dynamic interpreter of song and an artist unafraid to take emotional and musical risks.