WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DEBORAH KARPEL
"The focal point for the group is Vocalist Deborah Karpel, who leads the musical journey with great style. From Yiddish swing favorites like Ot Azoy Neyt a Shnayder and Abi Gezunt to the Balkan-backed Pick A Pocket Or Two to the traditional A Yid, A Kaptsn, the melancholy Mayn Rue Platz, and the distinctive Musikalisher Tango, she gives a nuanced performance that is among the best of today's interpreters of Yiddish song."
Keith Wolzinger, Klezmer Podcast.Com
“It is Deborah Karpel’s vocals that really steal the show. She connects all the dots from present to past, and she sings with a flair that captures (mostly in Yiddish) emotions and feelings in the set’s expressive melodies. Karpel has a strong, controlled voice that also exhibits tints of old-fashioned femininity. Their wittiest piece is “Traveling Dreydls,” while a more melancholy and serious side to their music is demonstrated with “Mayn Rue Plats (My Resting Place)” that refers to the search for tranquility and serenity in an otherwise tumultuous world.”
Joe Ross, Ross’s Reviews
“Then there's the sultry style of vocalist Deborah Karpel, a cult figure on New York's downtown theater scene. Who knew Yiddish could be so sexy?”
Kate Waller, The Advocate
"Karpel has an unusually rich voice, low and with an earnestness rarely heard in modern music. With small twists in range and inflection she can add coy humor to the entendre-laden "Lomir Zikh Iberbetn (Let's Make Up)" or lend crushing solidity to the pain in "Unter di Khurves fun Polyn (Under the Ruins of Poland)."
Sarah Meador, Rambles, a Cultural Arts Magazine
“When you hear the songs with vocalist Deborah Karpel, you'll realize how much Jewish music influenced the torch-song tradition and The Great American Songbook.”
Mark Keresman, The NYC Resident
“Deborah Karpel's vocals boast a natural allure so hot it ought to be licensed, taxed and regulated.”
Seth Rogovy, Author - The Essential Klezmer
“Deborah Karpel shows her mettle as an excellent Yiddish singer.”
Woodstock CD
“Lead vocalist Deborah Karpel has a nice, high pitched voice that fits the music…. I like “Mayn Rue Plats” a lot, she knows how to handle a slow and emotional song.”
Eelco Schilder, Folk World CD Review 2007
