This live, vibrant concert was recorded in Columbiana, Alabama. Debbie Bond was born in California, traveled with her family, and ended up in Alabama in her early 20s.
Unlike some blues musicians who were influenced by legends or honed their skills with influential blues fans, Debbie developed her soulful approach by playing in raw, poorly painted juke joints, darkened blues clubs, and outdoor festivals where many unknown blues veterans were still building careers.
With her soulful vocals and sometimes swampy New Orleans tones, the musicians are able to provide a diverse range of blues pleasures. There are 12 live numbers that glide smoothly on “Live at the Song Theater”, produced by Debbie (vocals/guitar) and “Radiator” Rick Asherson (vocals/harmonica/keyboards/bass).
Debbie Bond was born in California but moved to Europe and then Sierra Leone, West Africa with her family where at age 13 she played her first performance. In 1979 she returned to the U.S. and settled into Alabama where she started making the rounds of juke joints and festivals in the region. In the early 80’s, she started playing with Johnny Shines until his death in 1992.
The difference between many blues artists and Debbie’s fusion of elements is that her showcase is closer to the warm instrumentation of old jazz Mark-Almond, where John Mark’s soft whispery vocals are combined with Johnny Almond’s melodic and powerful saxophones (“Everybody Needs a Friend”).
The first song, “That Thing Called Love,” is in the Mark-Almond spirit, with saxophone and deep bass tone. Sure, Debbie is no John Mark, but her strong vocals and the way she uses her intonation are woven into a jazzy vibe. It works beautifully.
“That Thing Called Love” is the title song from her 2014 album. Debbie explains “Love is a power you just can’t explain, a mystery and magic, so simple and plain”. “Road Song” rocks out as she says, “this old road don’t own me”. “We just keep rolling from town to town”. “Watch Out for Your Heart” warns “Girl, don’t lose your head. You gotta watch out for your heart. That man’s no good.”
“Let Me Be” shifts into R&B as Debbie declares “I am trying to break the shackles locked around my heart.” “It’s a dangerous world out there filled with fear and doubt”. “Some Kind of Wonderful” written and recorded by The Soul Brothers Six in 1967 and later popularized by Grand Funk Railroad shifts into Motown with Sam’s sexy sax slithering through the song. She offers a social message as she asks, “Don’t you feel the winds of change blowin’ in the wrong direction” on “Winds of Change”.
The guitar dominates other tunes as a more reliable supporting instrument. The songs don’t sound like Johnny Winter’s Flame with the range and power of Karen Lawrence (1994/Blue By Nature). However, Debbie follows a pleasing path with her compositions.
She is consistent in her efforts, like a boxer who accumulates points with sharp, precise blows rather than a one-knockout scenario. The songs “Let Me Be,” “Winds of Change,” and “Nothing But the Blues” are such tunes. It is closer to Genia Ravan (Ten Wheel Drive) than to Janis Joplin.
She notes “I ain’t old but I have been “Been Around a Long Time” on the song written by Delbert McClinton, Glen Clark and Gary Nicholson and recorded by Delbert in 2013. Rick plays some sharp honky-tonk piano and a short shot of harmonica on the song. She then covers Ann Peebles’ 1972 “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” which was written by Edward Randle. Rick takes the lead vocal as they venture into New Orleans for “Going Back” as he notes “We’re gonna dance all night long to a zydeco beat and a two-step Cajun song”.
“She explores the contradictions of life on “Nothing but the Blues” as she chastises “You claim you’re killing for peace to set people free, but people are dying is all we can see”. On the whimsical blues shuffle “Wishbone”, Debbie expresses concerns “Went to the doctor said what’s wrong with me… She checked my heart. She checked my mind. Just one more thing he had to check my spine. Don’t take no x-ray vision it’s plain to see, got a wishbone where my backbone should be.” The album closes with “Blues Without Borders” from her 2021 album of the same name as she cries “The whole world’s in trouble, got to find our common ground. Come together people or we won’t even be around”.
Debbie delivers a fun album mixed with expressions of social concerns. Debbie and her husband have been touring together for twenty years and clearly establish a musical rapport now supported by Sam’s sax and Marcus’s rhythmic excellence.
Closer to the blues tenacity is “Watch Out For Your Heart,” which moves with beautiful saxophone bursts, moving piano notes, and aggressive Bond vocals. His guitar dominates a little more sincerely, but there is no fire of Buddy Guy or B.B. King in these songs. Bond relies on emotion, expression, and dependence on spirit. All are well used.
My latest recording is “Live at the Song Theater.” It was recorded in Alabama at a theater run by two blues musicians – a popular venue for intimate shows. The theater also has state of the art recording facilities and the capability of performing live with an audience while recording with acoustical brilliance. Our goal was to capture a taste of a live performance, featuring a retrospective of our original songs and a few well-loved covers. We have been receiving great reviews and lots of air play here in the UK and in Europe. We are thrilled that we are currently #12 the UK blues radio charts! – an interview with me said Debbie Bond.
Asherson takes the lead on the rollicking New Orleans gumbo of “Going Back,” with Bond on backup, and the band kicking up its Big Easy heels: “We’re gonna dance all night long / To a zydeco beat and a two-stepping Cajun song.” Bond steps out next on the profoundly thoughtful “Nothing But The Blues,” and the contradictions of life: “You claim you’re killing for peace, to set people free / But people are dying is all we can see.” The whimsical, bluesy shuffle of “Wishbone” spotlights Asherson wailing on harp, as Bond laments her emotional condition: “Don’t take extra vision it’s plain to see / Got a wishbone where my back bone should be.” The set closer, the title track from Bond’s 2021 album, is “Blues Without Borders,” an appropriately heartfelt plea for peace, love and understanding, as valid now as it was then: “The whole round world’s in trouble, got to find our common ground / Come together people or we won’t even be around.”
Debbie Bond’s sparkling “Live at the Song Theatre” is testimony that there are many joyful miles ahead on her long and winding musical road through the land of the blues.
We definitely recommend purchasing this CD, by the way, you can do that right here, and simply enjoy it.
