Stay Strong

Debora Iyall is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of Romeo Void, a San Francisco band that mined the sexy veins of new wave music. Those who only know Iyall from her Romeo Void hits - 1981's Never Say Never and 1984's A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) - may be surprised by the vulnerability of her approach on Stay Strong, but her maturity is tempered by her humor and sparkling verve. Iyall is a fearless performer, a good time party girl one moment, a woman bravely baring the most intimate details of her soul the next. Stay Strong shows off both aspects of her personality, with Dunne's finely crafted arrangements bringing each vignette to vibrant life. The album balances Iyall's audacious lyrics and dynamic singing with Dunne's diverse musical approach. Stay Strong is a collaboration with Peter Dunne, her songwriting partner since the early 90s. On the album Iyall's singing and lyrics and Dunne's playing and production take an honest and imaginative direction. Iyall explains, It's a natural extension of the work I've done over the years. Peter has a way of intensifying the feeling of the lyrics with the tones and colors he brings to our songs. Iyall is still exploring heartache, frustration and love gone wrong, but her optimism shines through even on the darkest tracks, with Dunne's music adding to the album's bright aura. The duo came to their sound organically writing some of the songs together in Dunne's studio over the years and then adding to the catalog with new songs written since last fall. The rock and dance beats are still there, but both artists are interested in branching out and expanding their creative reach. Dunne's wide-open soundscapes include subtle touches of reggae, trip-hop, blues, hard rock and classic late night musical reverie, but it's still an unabashed pop album. I grew up loving pop, Iyall says. Working with Peter helps me stretch. To complement his inventive melodies, I grew as a singer on every song. The album opens with Bring It, a declaration of resolve set to a popping club beat. Gabourey Sidibe, the young actress who starred in the film Precious, inspired the lyric. Iyall explains: In an interview, Sidibe said, 'When people see me, they don't expect much, but I do.' When I read that I knew right away I wanted to write a song with that sentiment. Dunne's distorted, propulsive guitar supports Iyall's raw, vulnerable vocal on this compelling exhortation. 'Stay Strong,' the albums title track, is an invocation set against a soundscape that suggests a marriage of slow core and pre-Columbian trip hop. The uplifting chorus counters the bleak images of the verses and evolves from hope to jubilation as the song progresses. Iyall's murmured vocal and Dunne's chiming guitar give the song an elegant grace that leads up to a soaring, inspirational chorus. Iyall's tough but tender vocal on One Saturday Night twists from a wrenching statement of loss and longing to an acceptance of change. Dunne's atmospheric playing and a simple pulsing rhythm pulls you into a mood of deep indigo as Iyall explores the curious pleasures of melancholy. The soft, tropical rhythm of Crocodiles has a hint of reggae, while Iyall's dreamy vocal effortlessly floats through the mix. The song is an ecological prayer to the earth and all it's creatures. Dunne's guitar floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Be My Last offers a sly tip of the hat to Romeo Void, with Dunne's swaggering distorted guitar, new wave dance beats and Iyall's spirited vocal. The song's refrain is one of the album's strongest hooks and echoes the giddy intoxication of new love's first blush. Iyall's whispered vocal on Fine Black Dust is full of peaceful intensity. The track's discreet, organic percussion effects and long sustained guitar notes create a vast, overwhelming emotional space. The set also includes 99, an ode to one of California's great highways; Creative Engine, a celebration of life's mysteriously exuberant moments and Dunne's When I Go Blue, a largely acoustic meditation on missed connectio