Chris Webster

From the breathtaking intimacy of Randy Newman's Real Emotional Girl to the exuberant zydeco-influenced swamp rock of her own Tumble Into Love, Chris Webster transforms everything she sings into her very own genre on her solo debut recording, Drive. The eclectic and expressive performer has been a West Coast favorite throughout the 90's for her role in the front line of the Cajun-country-R&B- swing dance band Mumbo Gumbo. With the nationwide release of Drive, Webster steps out as a songwriter and singer of extraordinary depth and wide-ranging passions.

"This is simply the best singing and songwriting I've heard in years," says Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, the legendary Texas swing band with whom Webster has recorded. Benson is only one of many admirers who have succumbed to the sway of Webster's talents. Critics have praised her singing for "the vocal and emotional alchemy with which only the rarest singers are blessed" and "the ineffable qualities of vocal grain, emotional nuance, timing, and phrasing possessed by the truly great and moving singers of any style." Canadian folk star Ferron, who recruited Webster to sing on two albums says, "I am very moved by the haunt in her voice, the stillness in her stage presence, the calm poise over each phrase."

Born in Sacramento, California, Webster grew up in the nearby agricultural university town of Davis. She played piano as a child and took up the saxophone in school. But her first love was always singing. "My dad loved Patsy Cline," she recalls, "and encouraged me to sing songs like Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, and Walking After Midnight." Branching out to sing rock, folk, and even Motown covers, Webster eventually fell in with the musicians who became Mumbo Gumbo. At the same time, she was writing and singing original material inspired by such artists as Randy Newman, Van Morrison, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams.

Even as Mumbo Gumbo became her musical family, recording four albums -- Mumbo Gumbo, Deep Soup, Big Smiley, and Pot Luck, Webster was establishing her solo career, performing with the country-rooted Asleep at the Wheel and Ranch Romance, and opening shows for k.d. lang, Ferron, The Band, and others. But when it came time to record her solo debut, Drive, she set out for Nashville. "I had to have some physical distance from everything else I've been doing," she explains. "I just wanted to try something new, work with some new people and write my own material."

With the help of co-producer Greg Humphrey, Chris recruited a core of Music City's finest, including pianist/organist Matt Rollings (Lyle Lovett), lap steel guitarist Al Perkins, bassist Willie Weeks, drummer Craig Kampf, and singer Jonell Mosser. She traveled cross-state to record the unmistakable Memphis Horns, and returned to California for additional recording by guitarist Nina Gerber, violinist Barbara Lamb, mandolinist Mike Marshall, and others.

The musical settings perfectly support, complement, and accent Webster's alternately wistful and rowdy vocals. Rollings underscores the eloquent simplicity of Real Emotional Girl and Angel Choir; Weeks, Kampf, and Perkins provide a mighty three-way rhythmic set-up on I'm Driving and Shake On It, with the Memphis Horns delivering the knock-out punch; Mumbo Gumbo accordionist Billy Fairfield and violinist Barbara Lamb create a dazzling dust- devil swirl Circles in the Wind; and acoustic guitar, mandolin, octave violin, and fretless bass weave a chamber-folk arrangement for the poignant Run Away to the Circus.

Whether pledging her emotional allegiance on Van Morrison's rollicking Ball and Chain and her own If I Could Have You, or declaring her independence with sultry conviction on the originals I'm Driving and Candybars and Freedom, Webster unveils the full range of her songwriting and interpretive gifts on Drive. She is an artist who truly thrives in live performance. With Mumbo Gumbo she often worked the crowd into a frenzy with her soulful testifying and high-spirited rub-board playing; but during a solo show she might stand virtually motionless, hands in the pockets of her suit pants, eyes closed, completely invested in the moment. Either way, her charisma takes control of the room. Capturing that magic through her command of poetic imagery, her musical versatility, and above all her stirring voice on the nine original and three borrowed tunes of Drive, Chris Webster has set her sights on your heart. Move over, she's driving.