From Billboard

DEBORAH GIBSON
Album Title: Colored Lights
Producer(s): William Meade, Deborah Gibson
Genre: POP
Label/Catalog Number: Fynsworth Alley 302062 195
Release Date: Nov. 4
Originally Reviewed: December 13, 2003

Fifteen years after splashing her wares across pop radio, Deborah Gibson continues to indulge her creative muse as a celebrated Broadway-stage staple. What a natural step to tackle onstage standards in her new "Colored Lights," a 13-song collection that showcases a potent interpreter. Whether slinking through "Blame It on the Summer Night" from "Rags," torching through "Les Mis" signature "On My Own" or singing her heart out in the pained "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" from "The Boy From Oz" (AC smash, anyone?), there's not a misguided moment here. Orchestral arrangements are elegant, and production is as crisp and clear as a live showcase. Those who haven't heard Gibson since "Only in My Dreams" will see that baby's grown up real good. This lady can sing!—CT

From broadwaysbiggesthits.com

DEBORAH GIBSON
"COLORED LIGHTS: THE BROADWAY ALBUM"
Fynsworth Alley (302 062 195 2)

Pop artist Deborah Gibson has several Broadway shows to her credit including Eponine in "Les Miserables," Sandy and Rizzo in "Grease," Fanny Brice in an American tour of "Funny Girl," Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," Gypsy Rose Lee in "Gypsy" and Sally Bowles in the current revival of "Cabaret" among others. Now she releases her first Broadway solo album, "Colored Lights." Her arrangements are pop sounding and aren't always faithful to the source-show orchestrations. She includes a Peter Allen tune from the new Hugh Jackman success "The Boy From Oz" plus songs from her many shows. She has a big vocal sound and her orchestrations compliment her voice well. It's an impressive debut album for a pop artist who has also done well in musical theater roles.

Grade: B+

From All Music Guide

Deborah Gibson's theatrical soul has often made close brushes with her pop persona. Even while singing all that '80s nostalgia, there were traces of a young Broadway starlet seeping through. In between previous pop releases, Gibson acted on and off Broadway in just about everything (notably Les Miserables, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and opposite Betty Buckley in Gypsy). Here, at last, is her no-nonsense "Broadway Album." For those outside walking distance to the venues in which she performed, this will be the first full-on introduction to Gibson as theatrical star. The track selections are wise, ranging from familiar (On My Own) to obscure (the upbeat Latin pop song Raise the Roof), with traditional and modern imprints stamped according to her taste. She pads the album with Sex, self-penned doo wop from an upcoming project, which works as an interlude. Poor fans who fear that she is headed down a dark tunnel that leads to a public kiss with Madonna should listen carefully to her lyrical winking: "Dad's '59 Chevy or Grandma's Ford Fairlane...anyplace is fair game." Now, the question is, where will Gibson's career lead from here? She wrote some amazing material on 1995's Think With Your Heart, some of which could easily stand against these classics. The focal point of this album is Gibson -- the white light is all hers. The very fine orchestrations are secondary to her vocals, there are no duets, and backup singers are in limited supply. But it works. She is at ease, aims to please, and obviously enjoys every bit of what she's doing. The showstopper They All Laughed casts a sweet, frenetic spell and is vocally and instrumentally the highlight of the album -- most particularly when she chuckles, rumbles, and squeaks at the finish. There are two things requested of listeners in order to fully enjoy this project: that they be fans of Gibson and fans of theater. If you fit the playbill, you're in luck

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