Deborah (album)

Deborah is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Released on June 11, 1997, under Gibson's own record label, Espiritu Records, this was the first release where the singer was credited with her full name. The original release sold to Debbie Gibson International Fan Club (DGIF) members includes her covers of "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl, as she starred in the off-Broadway production tour of the musical the previous year. The second release for the general market replaced the Funny Girl covers with "Only Words" (Dance Edit) and a re-recording of Gibson's 1987 debut single "Only in My Dreams".

In Japan, the album was released as Moonchild on November 29, 1997, by Nippon Columbia under the Portazul label. It includes all tracks from both versions of the U.S. release.

The album was included in the 2017 box set We Could Be Together, with the track listing based on the original DGIF release and two additional songs and three remixes as bonus tracks.

Singles

 * "Only Words" is the first dance maxi-single from the album. Released in the U.S. in 1997 and peaking at #38 on the Hot Dance chart,
 * "Moonchild" released in 1997.
 * "Naturally" is the third and final single from Deborah Gibson's album, released in 1997. "Naturally" was released as a single exclusively in Japan in 1998.

Reception
In their review of the first single, "Only Words" Billboard stated that "Gibson has decided to have a little fun again. She hits the dancefloor with exhausting energy, romping through this fast-paced anthem with an infectious grin and a sing-along chorus. This may be characteristic of Gibson's past club glories, but it sure isn't indicative of superstar remixer Junior Vasquez's past efforts. He momentarily eschews the tribal darkness of his previous recordings in favor of a sunny sound that is awash in delightful, pastel-like keyboards. Perfect for the tambourine-shaking tea-dance set."

AllMusic were favorable in their review of the album, commenting that "after a brief flirtation with both alternative rock and adult contemporary balladeering, Debbie Gibson decided it was time to return to her pop roots with her sixth album. The only difference is, this time she's in control. Forming her own label, Espiritu, and billing herself as Deborah Gibson (evidently to convey that she is indeed mature), she turns in a surprisingly winning effort with Deborah. Although the record still suffers from inconsistent material, it's nice to hear her play dance-pop again, and her ballads are generally more melodic and memorable than those on Think With Your Heart. It may not be a commercial success on the level of Out of the Blue, but Deborah is a considerable artistic comeback."

Personnel

 * Deborah Gibson - vocals, backing vocals, piano, musical arrangements, keyboards
 * Carlos Alomar – acoustic & electric guitar
 * Reynaldo Andrews – handclapping
 * Carlton Batts – mastering
 * Bob Biles – sound engineering
 * Anna-Jane Casey – vocals, performance
 * Chris Childs – bass
 * Robin Clark – background vocals
 * Richard Cottle – keyboards
 * Richard Drummie – guitar, mandolin, musical arrangement, production, drum programming, keyboard programming
 * Dave Goodermuth – assistant engineer
 * Marc Goodman – sound engineering
 * Andy Grassi – vocals, sound engineering, mixing
 * Dave Hancock – mixing assistant
 * Bashiri Johnson – percussion
 * Larry Knight – acoustic & electric guitar
 * David Matthews – sound engineering
 * P. Dennis Mitchell – sound engineering, mixing
 * Richie Morales – drums
 * Joey Moskowitz – programming
 * B.J. Nelson – backing vocals
 * Rafael Padilla – percussion
 * Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
 * John Patitucci – bass samples
 * George Perilli – drums
 * Mark Portmann – arrangement, production, sound engineering, keyboard programming
 * Sally Ries – backing vocals
 * Andrea Robinson – backing vocals
 * Alex Rodriguez – mixing
 * Steve Rosen – piano, arrangement, keyboards, production
 * Tom Salta – keyboards, programming
 * Bill Schnee – mixing
 * Michael Thompson – electric guitar
 * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals
 * Junior Vasquez – production, mixing, post production