Delay & Bonnie were a duo of musicians, who have their musical career starting in Los Angeles circa 1967, who played a certain bluesy soul rock, from what I can tell from Wikipedia. I’ve heard about them online, but haven’t really looked into them until now. The duo had a group called Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which featured a bunch of accomplished musicians at different times, like Duane and Gregg Allman, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Bobby Whitlock, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, King Curtis, and Eric Clapton. I don’t think I need to say much more – I’m super stoked to check this album out. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Hard Luck and Troubles” starts out really quickly with some bubbling country rock bass and some really tasty soulful bluesy vocals that quickly gets joined by some really tasty rollicking piano. There’s some really tasty guitar tone when it comes on. Oh wow, there’s some really gentle organs lifting the tune up from the background while the drums keep driving this tune forward. Oh wow, this is sweet. It’s like a soulful country rock and roll tune – I really dig it. I’m excited for the next tunes.
Holy smokes, “God Only Knows I Love You” starts out with some absolutely awesome acoustic guitar work that really has really great gentle flavor, with some pedal steel guitar that really brings some country soul into the picture for this one. The gentle drums and bass has a great country feel to it, and almost has a bit of a gallop. There’s almost a bit of Mississippi delta blues inflection to this country tune, and I really dig it. Great tune.
“Lay Down My Burden” starts out with a bit of an airy soundscape that is gently filled by some weighty piano and some great country sounding vocals from Bonnie. The horns really come and bring a nice soulful feeling to the tune, which is especially amplified by the call and response gospel vocals and the gentle organs in the background. I really dig the syncopation in the drums in this one, really bringing a whole lot of flavor that keeps the tune even more interesting than it already is. Bonnie really gets guttural with her vocals at times, giving a really great mix of sensations in this sort of New Orleans-esque soul rock tune. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Medley: Come On in My Kitchen / Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean / Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” starts out like a classic delta blues jug band some with a great twangy, somewhat buzzy acoustic guitar with some classic blues standards. There’s so much flavor in the underlying intricate playing of the acoustic guitar chords and the simple percussive beat from the tambourine that really gets driven home by that steel guitar and the vocal performance. This tune is absolutely sweet. Now it’s on the “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” part, and as a Deadhead, I absolutely dig this performance of the blues standard I’ve heard so often. I really want to clap along, but I want to simply listen even more. This is sweet.
“The Love of My Man” starts out with some super tasty horns in this caressing soulful r&b tune. The electric guitar is awesome – it’s got a bit of grit while still nearly melting in the soundscape in a really really slippery way. I really dig the subtle organs in the background that really adds some great flavor, especially when the piano is played on top of it. The vocal performance fro Bonnie is really great – really soulful and digs down and gets bluesy at times. The ending of this tune has such great weight and force behind the playing – really awesome.
“They Call It Rock & Roll Music” starts out with some really tasty, nearly funky country rock sounds. Wow, this is interesting. The bass line is super fat, with some funky organs, but there’s a twangy country rock guitar and some rockin’ New Orleans drums, reminding me a bit of Dr. John a bit when everything comes together. Holy smokes, these horns are super groovy and funky. This tune is awesome. Wow, this guitar solo at the outro really goes into this tune. Great song.
“Soul Shake” starts out with some really tasty fuzzy guitar that and some rollicking piano and chorus vocals that almost give off hazy vibes of The Beach Boys. This tune really does feel like it really hits some tasty traditional rock and roll vibes, reminiscent of someone like Chubby Checker. Oh wow, that twangy and gritty pedal steel guitar is absolutely awesome. Another great tune.
“Miss Ann” starts out with some parlor-esque rollicking bluesy piano lines that gently bring some other bluesy instrumentation to the mix. Holy smokes, those vocals really have a great grit to them from both a guttural performance and what sounds to be a light distortion from singing so loudly. Oh wow, the guitars, bass, and drums all work together to bring about this great, churning blues rock backdrop for the rollicking piano to really get into the jam. Oh wow, this tune has such a great blues rock feel to it and an earthy feel from the instrumentation – I really dig it. Oh wow, those horns come in and bring a bit of a soulful, nearly funk feel to this blues rock tune. Great song.
“Alone Together” has a really great country rock twang to the rollicking instrumentation in this one. The guitars have some great distortion to them, which only serve to bring out that country twang a bit more. The fat walking bass line for the main melody really moves the song nicely along those groovy drum beats. Oh wow, this is one groovy tune.
“Living On the Open Road” starts out with nearly screechingly twangy distortion from the guitars that introduce the tune in this one. I really dig the drums in this one – there’s a very dynamic sound with a great back beat. Oh wow, this is a sweet country rock tune – it reminds me a lot of Gram Parsons. Really tasty tune.
“Let Me Be Your Man” has a really sweet, caressing r&b feel to this one with the airy drums, the lifting organs, the soulful vocals, the flavorful piano, and the drivingly sweet horns. Oh wow, the guitar comes in for some really tasty, caressing clean licks that you can really hear the passion in. The gospel chorus backing vocals really add a great soulful element to this tune. I really dig this tune. The drums have a great way of driving home the sensation from the other instruments in the outro. Great tune.
“Free the People” starts out with some horns that sound like they’re playing some strange reformation of the Star-Spangled Banner at first, until the tuba comes in and this turns into a really interesting, almost slow marching sort of funk rock tune that has a great New Orleans feel to it. Holy smokes, when the drums really come in with a great backbeat as this song nearly turns into a soulful gospel rock tune with the chorus vocals and lyrics. Great track and great end to the album.
Wow, I’m glad I finally checked out Delaney & Bonnie. This album was awesome, and contained a great mix of country rock and New Orleans r&b sounds, driving home a really tasty and unique flavor profile. If you dig country rock or New Orleans rock and funk artists like The Meters or Dr. John at all, you might want to give this one a listen. As always, if you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A