Deborah Bonham – Duchess
Rhino
www.rhino.com  

Rating: C+ 

Deborah Bonham is the younger sister of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.  She will always live under this shadow, but to her credit, Deborah does not try to capitalize on this fact in her marketing or her music.  Instead of trying to live off her brother’s legend, Bonham, instead, chooses to make her own mark, find her own voice and work hard to make a dent in the music business.  

The songs on Duchess are all heartfelt, and Bonham had a hand in the writing as well as the performing of tunes.  She is a vastly underrated talent.  The music, at times, feels a tad like early Melissa Ethridge, as seen on “Grace,” “Jack Past 8” and “Chains.”  At other times, Bonham spills out smoky vocals that show her love of the blues. 

At the end of the day this is not a ‘must own’ album, however, it is very interesting music and a vast improvement over her other work.  While she may be further into the years than most budding artists, Bonham still has a career ahead of her and is heading in the right direction.  

By Jeb Wright