RISING STAR DEEANN PAYS TRIBUTE TO SADE WITH “KISS OF LIFE” AVAILABLE JUNE 20TH WORLDWIDE
DeeAnn
Kiss of Life
A former pop/rocker and country singer who is currently one of Buffalo’s premiere award winning jazz and blues vocalists, DeeAnn would seem to have little in common stylistically with hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg. Yet both know musical genius when they hear it and are showing big love these days to soul/jazz/sophisti-pop icon Sade on their latest recordings. The title track of Snoop’s new album Iz It A Crime? is named after and features a sample of one of the Nigerian singer’s biggest hits, while DeeAnn follows her sensual, deep soul-bluesy twist on Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” with another gem from Sade’s catalog, her 1992 Billboard Top Ten R&B classic “Kiss of Life.”
With its inspiring imagery of an angel coming down to earth to help facilitate joy and bring love into people’s lives, the song’s theme aligns perfectly with DeeAnn’s personal spiritual journey in recent years. In addition to showcasing her rich, emotional vocals and fascinating jazz scatting abilities and reflecting her ever-evolving artistry, the single captures the synergy and sonic excitement of her ongoing collaboration with legendary producer Ted Perlman, who captured DeeAnn’s magic on “Simply Beautiful” and has created a fresh soulful, bluesy and jazzy arrangement of “Kiss of Life.” The new track continues to lay a powerful foundation for DeeAnn’supcoming album featuring both originals and pop re-imaginings from different eras. Perlman says of DeeAnn, “I love her combination of soul, jazz, blues and rock. She has a unique sound, and I’m always on the lookout for artists who are unique and have that special “je ne sais quoi.” It’s wonderful to create music with her, and I often feel like a custom tailor coming up with the perfect vibe around an artist who can really bring a song home.”
This is high praise indeed from an industry veteran who has produced, arranged, recorded and toured with the likes of Whitney Houston, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach, Ronald Isley, The Manhattans, Jermaine Jackson, Edwin Hawkins, CeCe Winans, Brian Wilson, Dr. Dre, Diana Ross, Ringo Starr, Joe Cocker, Chicago and Young MC. DeeAnn and Perlman recorded at his Nashville based studio Station West, with Perlman producing, engineering and contributing his emotionally searing electric guitar vibe alongside some of Music City’s heaviest hitters – pianist/organist Jody Nardone, bassist Jonathan Nixon, drummer Brian Czach and background vocalists Moe Loughran and Damien Horne.
While the lyrics of “Kiss of Life” clearly have romance in mind, DeeAnn’s understanding of angel visitations has changed since her son William passed away in a motorcycle accident at 23 – shortly after she had completed most of the tracks on her second album It’s My Time, released in 2023.
“It’s a great song and I’ve always loved Sade,” she says. “I relate to those lyrics about an angel bringing someone to us on a different level now. I’ve learned so much since I lost my son and to me the song is all about our connection to God, saying that God sends angels to help bring us new life and love after loss sucks so much out of you. It’s a new feeling where, as the lyrics say, the world can truly hear our hearts beating again. The angel could also be William, bringing the beauty of God into my life. Musically, I like how the song brings out both the low register of my voice, which is my favorite way to sing, and the higher register on the scatting. I also love the tempo Ted created. The song always makes me feel like I'm sailing on a boat in smooth waters.”
Earlier in 2025, DeeAnn received several well-deserved accolades in the 10th Annual JazzBuffalo Poll honoring musical greats in her beloved hometown. She was awarded Jazz Female Vocalist of the Year, received the most votes for her still-popular 2023 album It’s My Time and was chosen runner-up for Most Memorable Performance and the John Hunt Jazz Artist of the Year Award.
This echoes her early days as a pop/rock singer, when she won Best Female Vocalist at the Buffalo Music Awards two years in a row, and her winning Best Female Blues Vocalist at the Buffalo NightLifeMusic Awards in the mid-2010s, just before launching her recording career with the debut album Desperately Seeking DeeAnn.
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