May 9, 2021 – There’s a song I’ve heard on the radio three, maybe four times. The first time I heard it, I liked it. It’s catchy, think pop catchy, but it’s rock. It’s even a bit country; maybe not enough country for me, but almost. It really was so fun; it had me singing along before the end of the song. And that never happens! Really, seriously, this girl is my much younger twin.

I tried to find the song, but I couldn’t. The name of the song Not Dead Yet is too ordinary, or too … already done, so my search wasn’t giving me the right song.

On Friday, KLOS said the artist’s name: Devora. Yesterday, I heard KLOS feature the song with a bumper before saying “new music”, “Devora”, “Not Dead Yet”. So I took that – the song playing both times that I got in the car in two days — as a sign that I need to check her out. Something borrowed from KLOS, something new that I like.

Not Dead Yet has an elaborate video. There’s a second song out too Body Bag, with an even more elaborate video. Devora is a stage name, perhaps the artist’s middle name, or so she said in an interview to an El Paso DJ. Sidenote, you have to love mid-market Texas towns for promoting new rock; they always have. Devora means some strong thing in Hebrew, or it might mean bee. Who knows, but I do like the fact that it’s Hebrew, no reason though, I just thought that was cool. Somehow the artist got discovered by an A&R person, she said who in the interview, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. She knew that person for three to five years, and then approached him with some sort of story-concept – songs, videos, an EP. The story seems to be “the desert”, Western-Goth…, t-shirts worn with boots. Seriously? That was me … for I don’t know, most of my youth? And I’m not going to say how that crosses with anything else I have ever wanted to do, but how lucky that she gets to make her vision, not to mention combine pop, rock and country, with some pretty cool cowboy hats and thigh-high boots worn with t-shirts and have that be an actual thing. Oh, and she says her dream influence is Johnny Cash. If she reads me, somehow, all I have to say is you’re welcome. The interview says the EP will come out in the summer. I’m looking forward to it. I really like this artist. It makes me think it’s possible that my rocked out Miranda Lambert song I put on hold to do all of this life I’m working on will actually sound quite good.

Here’s Devora’s song that’s on the radio, then her follow-up Body Bag, which is not on the radio, followed by the El Paso DJ’s interview. He says he hears Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless) or Maria Brink (In This Moment) in Devora’s voice. No, I don’t think it’s Taylor or Maria that Devora is copying, except maybe for the hair, or her interview style, which is definitely like Taylor Momsen. No, the vocals are definitely an emulation of Miranda Lambert. And that’s why the last video is there, to hear Miranda, not the song I’m working on, or plan to work on, but one that’s a bit of a rocker, just for the sake of comparison.

And in case you’re wondering….

The cover photo of a duck is because I like ducks. Devora likes scorpions and snakes. My mix of pop, rock and country would have ducks. Ducks, with cowboy boots and everything mixed together. So that makes me different.