Blues Rock voice-and-guitar duo BONHAM-BULLICK turn the heat all the way up on their new self-titled album ”Bonham-Bullick”. Vocalist Deborah Bonham (sister of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham) is considered by many to be among the finest singers the UK has ever produced. Irish-born guitarist Peter Bullick has paid dues all over the UK and continental Europe. He has also toured / recorded for Paul Rodgers. In fact, all the talented musicians recording here are members of Paul Rodgers’ ‘Free Spirit’ band.
Featuring special guests John Baggott (Robert Plant), Paul Brown (The Waterboys), John Hogg (Magpie Salute), Marco Giovino (Robert Plant, John Cale), etc, together make a formidable unit that will blow your mind and rock your soul.
Bonham-Bullick are an incendiary pair of talents with a magic touch when it comes to blues, rock, and soul material and have recorded this 13-song effort of some of their old and new favorites.
Bonham-Bullick opens with the moody and atmospheric “See You Again,” which was written by Rolling Stones backup vocalist Bernard Fowler. Bonham wraps herself all the way around this powerful cut, going from whispered confessions to bold and passionate phrases. Bullick’s guitar answers her call throughout the arrangement with emotive lines and stellar tones. It’s an epic song that quickly sets the attitude and altitude levels for the rest of the platter.
“Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me” becomes a thumping, mid-tempo shuffle here full of Bullick’s absolutely ripping guitar lines and Bonham’s ferocious vocals. The rhythm section deserves some love, too, rising and falling telepathically with the intensity of the front of the band.
This is blues/rock writ large, as it was intended to be, and really shows the might that Bonham-Bullick can put down.
One of the record’s highest points is Bonham-Bullick’s take on “Bleeding Muddy Water” written by recently-deceased Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan. The entire group delivers big-time here, getting heavy, haunting, and deep into the pulse of this blues-drenched lament. It’s a breathtaking track, especially considering Lanegan’s passing earlier this year, and the emotions it generates will sit you down and keep you listening.
“What Did I Do Wrong” is a tough-but-tender song about the search for reasons when love goes sideways. Bonham kills the vocal mic on this one, flooding the track with the pain of the person left behind. She nails the heartbreak of it dead-on and will make listeners physically feel her tears and frustration.
Be sure to also check out Bonham-Bullick’s work on Stephen Stills’ “Sit Yourself Down”.
On a powerfully produced and immaculately played album, ”Bonham-Bullick” is one heck of a ride from end to end and belongs on every blues-rock list of 2022’s most vital new releases.
Don’t let it pass you by.
Highly Recommended
01 – See You Again
02 – I Had a Dream
03 – Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me
04 – Bleeding Muddy Water
05 – I Don’t Know Why
06 – Trouble Blues
07 – Sit Yourself Down
08 – I’ll Get Along
09 – When This World Comes to an End
10 – When It Don’t Come Easy
11 – What Did I Do Wrong
12 – It Ain’t Easy
13 – The Changeling
Deborah Bonham – vocals
Peter Bullick – guitar, mandolin
Richard Newman – drums
Ian Rowley – bass
Gerard Louis – keyboards
guests:
Paul Brown (The Waterboys) – Hammond
John Baggott (Robert Plant) – keyboards
John Hogg (Magpie Salute) – vocals
Marco Giovino (Robert Plant, John Cale) – percussion
BONHAM-BULLICK – Deborah Bonham & Peter Bullick (2022), MP3+FLAC
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