Page 58 - BiTS_08_AUGUST_2025

Debbie Bond—Live At The Song Theatre—
Blues Roots Productions BRP2025.1

Debbie’s live album, delivers a rather subtle and

vulnerable display of song craft and musicianship
over the twelve intimate numbers, which will

linger longer.

The opener, ‘That Thing Called Love’, is a sea of
drifting, bubbling keyboard and mellow
saxophone, underpinning Debbie’s softly,

enticing vocals. The gently, rolling pace of ‘Road

Song’, is accentuated by some uplifting harmonica and toe-tapping piano. The
slow burning, ‘Watch Out For Your Heart’, features a mellow saxophone melded

with a lazy, melancholy piano while Debbie pleads for you, to beware a broken
heart.

On ‘Let Me Be’, the gently bubbling keyboards and subtly ringing guitar allow
Debbie to demand her freedoms and independence.

The tale, of a very loving man on ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’, features a very slinky
and sensuous saxophone throughout.

The slow burning, ‘Winds Of Change’, sees a gently washing keyboard and swaying
saxophone ensnare you in a sensuous, slow bubbling wave of fear, dread, futility

and decline— if we don’t change our ways.

Delbert McLinton’s ‘Been Around A Long Time’, is a joy filled, upbeat rolling,

goodtime honky-tonk piano while Debbie’s jaunty vocals are abetted by a gently
swinging harmonica. Ann Peebles’ ‘I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down’ oozes

with playful, jazzy soul-fuelled saxophone behind Debbie’s gossamer vocals.

The delightful ‘Going Back’, is a New Orleans, rolling strutter. Piano and saxophone

underpin Rick Asherson’s lead vocals. This leads on to a smoothly grooving but,
politically and socially caustic, ‘Nothing But The Blues’.

The sweetly swaying shuffle ‘Wishbone’, is a toe-tapper concerning Debbie’s
emotional state, the jaunty harmonica, is just fine.

‘Blues Without Borders’, is simply an enticing mellow, emotional plea for peace,

love and understanding not, greed, bile and violence.

Highly recommended!

Brian Harman.