Suzanne Dean Official Website

Come to Paradise

Nicole Zuraitis – Vocals

Suzanne Dean – 8 String Ukelele

Rich Ruttenberg – Piano

Dean Parks – Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin

Trey Henry – Acoustic Bass

Casey Scheuerell – Drums and Percussion

Scott Breadman - Percussion

It’s a simple story, simple math

Add it up and life just isn’t all that bad

This life we have.

In the garden, stone wall waiting

Cool and calling toss a coin into that well

Wishes to tell.

Chorus

Come to paradise where everything is nice

Come to paradise anytime now.

Take a minute, take an hour

You can choose a day or your whole life to be

Happy and free.

Just keep going far together

It’s a wonder any thing is ever done today

Can’t we just play?

(Chorus)

Just keep going far together

It’s a wonder any thing is ever done today

Can’t we just play?

(Chorus)

What Dreams Are Made Of

Nicole Zuraitis – Vocals

John Daversa -Trumpet

Rich Ruttenberg – Piano

Dean Parks –Electric Guitar

Trey Henry – Acoustic Bass

Casey Scheuerell – Drums

You are what dreams are made of

When push comes to shove,

Sent from above,

Long time after time,

I searched for the rhyme that

You are what dreams are made of.

Whenever you do

That thing that you do,

My heart starts to race,

I search for my place

In line after line,

Still lost in the rhyme that

You are what dreams are made of.

I thought I felt this before

But this is more, it’s you I adore.

It’s like a hand in a glove,

A perfect fit love,

What dreams are made of,

And time after time

My heart tells my mind,

You are what dreams are made of.

Some say love’s just a dance,

A movie romance,

A brief second chance,

But I know that I’m

In love for all time cuz

You are what dreams are made of.

Soul Star

Nicole Zuraitis – Vocals and Background Vocals

Bob Sheppard – Soprano Sax

Rich Ruttenberg – Piano

Dean Parks –Electric Guitar

Trey Henry – Fretless Bass

Casey Scheuerell – Drums and Percussion

Scott Breadman - Percussion

Just when you think there’s no more treasure there

You turn and something catches your eye

Well I was just on my way from here to there

And now I realize, I’m gonna

Take a little time to find out why

There’s always somethin’ catches your eye

It’s a long road back to paradise

But this train’s gonna fly, cuz I’m

Chorus

High on you, cuz you shine right through me

My soulstar, my sweet hearted lover

You’re my soulstar my soft hearted other

Say you’re a diamond in the sand, or

Pretty sea glass to hold in my hand

I saw you sparkle

Saw you shine

Will you ever be mine?

(Chorus)

Just when you think there’s no more treasure there

You turn and something catches your eye

Well I was just on my way from here to there

And now I realize, I’m gonna

Take a little time to find out why

There’s always somethin’ catches your eye

It’s a long road back to paradise

But this train’s gonna fly, cuz I’m

(Chorus)

On A Cloud

Nicole Zuraitis – Vocals

Nicole Zuraitis and Suzanne Dean – Background Vocals

John Daversa - Trumpet

Rich Ruttenberg – Piano

Dean Parks –Acoustic and Electric Guitar

Trey Henry – Acoustic Bass

Casey Scheuerell – Drums

If you could lie down on a cloud

Look far below you all around

Sky is your window, sunset sash

You choose the weather, time of year

Light as a feather way up here

You could see green fields

Or blue sea, you’re free

Tears made of raindrops, hearts of sun

Only the good things promise to come

If you believe in just one thing, then sing

If you could lie down on a Cloud

Look far below you all around

You could see green fields

Or blue sea, you’re free

Ngizohamba (IsiZulu)

Nicole Zuraitis and Suzanne Dean – Vocals

Casey Scheuerell – Drums and Percussion

Scott Breadman - Percussion

Ngizohamba ngezinyawo ukuyobingelela

Izindlovu, amadube, amabhubesi, nezimpala

Woza, Woza uhambe nami

(Translation)

I Will Go

I will go by foot to greet

The elephants, zebras, lions, impala.

Come with me

Dance the Night away

Nicole Zuraitis – Vocals

Rich Ruttenberg – Piano

Dean Parks –Electric Guitar

Trey Henry – Electric Bass

Casey Scheuerell – Drums and Percussion

Scott Breadman - Percussion

Why don't you stay? Why go away?

You know what we have? It's love

Is it so, hard to see, see the lovin’ in me?

Why don't we go, out to a show?

The moon's full tonight, with love.

Is it so, hard to be,

Be in love and carefree?

Take my hand, come with me,

I know just what we need

Lets go and

(Chorus)

Dance the night away

And I'll show you how it feels this way

I know a place, with lights turned down low

We'll take all this feelin’ inside

What could be, better than,

Than good music and love with me?

Take my hand, Come with me,

This is all that we need

Let's go and

(Chorus)

What could be, better than,

Than good music and love with me?

Take my hand, come with me,

This is all that we need

Let's go and

(Chorus)

JazzTimes.com

Suzanne Dean

Come to Paradise

Arranger, composer, keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist and Berklee College of Music educator Suzanne Dean has released a prodigious new release entitled, Come to Paradise. A defying genre boundaries project with a fresh, inventive world-jazz acoustic sound. Come to Paradise is a collection of six originally penned compositions by Dean. The music shuffles a wide-range of influences and Dean’s unconventional compositions are refreshingly uncategorizable and infectious. Ranging from an African inspired piece with lyrics in Zulu, to songs indicative of acoustic folk music from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as jazz and contemporary singer/songwriter style, the sum of the total adds up to a refreshing listen of a journey through well-crafted songs.

The album features Nicole Zuraitis on vocals, and a number of seasoned LA session musicians, which include: Rich Ruttenberg on keyboards, Nicole Zuraitis as the lead singer, Trey Henry on bass, Dean Parks on guitar, Casey Scheuerell on drums, Scott Breadman as the percussionist, John Daversa on trumpet, Bob Sheppard on soprano Sax and Suzanne Dean lending background vocals and ukulele. Come to Paradise shows off a cohesive group sound and a unifying solidarity that takes most groups years to develop. Conveying a spirit that shines through the music, that is spirited and natural and knowing this, Dean composes music that takes full advantage of each player’s individual strengths and collective identity to forge an entirely singular sound.

The opener “Come to Paradise” marries acoustic folk and contemporary singer/songwriter elements. Fueled by Dean’s driving ukulele strumming and Breadman’s swirling cymbal work, the result is an electric groove that finds Zuraitis’ clear vocals conveying the melody and storyline with confidence and excellent diction. Dean displays her strong solo chops with a fine ukulele solo followed by Ruttenberg’s melodic piano solo. Although the solos are excellent, Dean’s compositional focus is on storytelling rather than soloing, the emotional rather than the cerebral. The lyrics and melody and overall setting of this selection is an elegant, buoyant, pop-inspired tune; almost a radio-friendly pop song at times.

The funk pulse of “Dance the Night Away” gives this selection an enjoyable backdrop for Zuraitis’ breezy, optimistic laid-back melodicism, with Scheuerell and Henry conjuring a robust, elastic bass and drums neo-soul vibe. Dean has certainly found collaborators who are as open-eared and adventurous as she is. The result is a toe tapping musical adventure. The vocal harmonies and backgrounds on this selection are very enjoyable and the ending finds Zuraitis doing some excellent vocal fills full of emotion and the blues, showing her wide ranging vocal chops. Parks plays a well packed energetic guitar solo that also adds to the musical success of this track.

“Ngizohamba,” the closing selection, is an African inspired composition with A cappella vocals set to percussion, sung with lyrics in Zulu, that serve as an homage to African wildlife. The vocal harmonies are excellent and sung with clear diction. Breadman’s percussion playing is very authentic to the style and captures the African rhythmic sense perfectly. This is a perfect closer to a set of music that is diverse in style but singular in artistic merit.

Overall, Come to Paradise may offer a mix of styles, but one that is purely enjoyable. Dean’s expertise as a composer weaves each tune into an overall journey of excellence, and certainly is a wholly calling card for this veteran composer.

Amazon *****

Talent in every aspect of the music

By Grady Harp

This review is from: Come to Paradise (MP3 Music)

Suzanne Dean is an arranger, composer, keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist, educator and orchestrator on the television series Jake and the Fatman. She has taught at Berklee College of Music since 1997 and has attended the Master’s program in music composition at California State University in Northridge, California.

According to the excellent PR notes, COME TO PARADISE offers six new original Dean compositions. It’s an eclectic mix of styles. Ngizohamba, (pronounced geezoamba), is an African piece with lyrics in Zulu, that serve as an homage to African wildlife. The other songs are indicative of her roots in acoustic folk music from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as her immersion in jazz later on, and her appreciation for contemporary singer/songwriter idioms.

This may be small ensemble sound but that so suits Suzanne Dean’s compositions - creative, focused, and sensitive and gentle. A beautiful and very unique collection. Grady Harp, June 16

Review Overview

Reviewer's Rating

User Rating: 4.9 ( 1 votes)

An arranger, composer, keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist, and educator, Suzanne Dean has spent most her adult life immersed in writing and performing melodies for mass consumption. Her new CD Come to Paradise is as multi-faceted as her musical talents, combining elements of American country, folk, funk, pop, straight-ahead jazz, and tribal acoustics. She welcomes each musical expression, showing a fondness for their individual color palettes and harmonic forms.

Harnessed in country-folk acoustics, the title track informs listeners that Dean likes her music to be on the easy-listening side of the adult contemporary pop spectrum. The mellow tone of Rich Ruttenberg’s keys in “What Dreams Are Made Of” is wrapped in the silky silhouettes of Bob Sheppard’s saxophone and the gentle strums of Dean’s ukulele, producing a moonlit ambience enhanced by the soft-brushed strokes of Scott Breadman’s drumming and the bluesy swagger of Nicole Zuraitis’ vocals.

“Soulstar” takes the recording to another level with keys that gently sizzle intermittently beside the lightly crackling horns, projecting a familiar straight-ahead jazz sound. The horns and keys turn breezy through “On a Cloud” as Zuraitis’ vocals imprint grooves along the melody that is accentuated by the bowing notes of Trey Henry’s bass.

The funky beats cruising along “Dance the Night Away” are tangled in a wreath of soft shuttering in the instrumentation as the lyrics implore, “Is it so hard to be in love and carefree / Take my hand / Come with me / I know just what we need / Let’s go and dance the night away.” The CD closes with the tribal-driven hymn “Ngizohamba,” which is laden with chanting vocals and folkloric tones.

Many of the songs are indicative of Dean’s roots in acoustic folk tunage stemming from the ‘60s and ‘70s and her appreciation for contemporary singer/songwriter idioms. She blends classic modes of jazz, folk, and pop with contemporary versions of these genres, creating a bridge that links the past with the present.

Come To Paradise

COME TO PARADISE - LYRICS

COME TO PARADISE - REVIEWS