As a huge music fan, I have REALLY been missing live performances. When I heard that Ms. Debórah Bond would be performing live on 3/19/2021, I decided to pay the (very reasonable) $20 fee and check out her performance. The show was streamed live from Blue House Studio in Silver Spring, MD. Debórah, pronounced (DE-BOR-A), is a talented indie/neo soul singer songwriter who just released her new album, Compass: I on 3/5/2021. This is Debórah’s third album as a solo artist, and first in ten years. I have listened to Compass: I and I found it to be excellent! It has meaningful lyrics, Debórah’s amazing vocals and stellar musicianship and production. Over the span of her career, Ms. Bond has worked as a background vocalist for many amazing artists and occasionally records and performs with Incognito (definitely one of my faves).
For this performance, Debórah was joined by a band and background singers, including a few members from the Richmond, VA based jazz group Future Prospect (that worked with her on Compass: I).
As you would expect, the performance mostly featured songs from the Compass: I album along with a few of Bond’s favorites from her previous albums DayAfter and Madam Palindrome. Debórah started the show with the mellow “atlanta” from Compass: I. Next she sang two smooth, uptempo cuts “time” and “stride” (my personal favorite from the album). “stride” is all about coping with adversity and still moving forward to reach your goals, which is relevant to all of us these days. Debórah then performed two fan favorites from her first album (DayAfter) entitled “See You In My Dreams” and “Love’s Been Waiting”. The band and background vocals were tight throughout this performance, perfectly complementing Bond’s smooth, energetic vocals.
Next up, the songs “burden” and “patience” from Compass: I. Debórah indicated that she gets a lot of positive feedback for “burden” as it communicates unwavering support for the black man. “patience” is personal for Debórah as it talks about the need to slow down and let things come to you, enjoy the journey while moving towards the destination. Debórah then let the band stretch out a little, as they performed a Future Prospect tune called “Bolivia” (from their Osmosis Vol 1 EP). That was followed by “smolder” and the first single from Compass: I entitled “radio”. Debórah had some fun at the end of “radio”, integrating some classic hooks from New Edition’s“If It Isn’t Love”, Usher’s“You Don’t Have To Call” and Spandau Ballet’s“True” before ending the show….or so we thought :-). Debórah and the band came back out for what she called the “Bora Bora Bootleg Encore”. She then performed the smooth “door” from Compass: I before closing the show with the iconic “You Are The One” from Madam Palindrome.
Debórah Bond puts on an excellent show: her vocals are stellar, she brings amazing energy and her lyrics are so meaningful and relatable to her audience. The band and background singers were on point as well. This performance really showcases her Compass: I project and I would highly recommend that you check it out on all music platforms. You can find out more about Debórah and her music on her web site by clicking here and check out the video for her single “radio”.
Set List
1. Atlanta (Compass: I)
2. Time (Compass: I)
3. Stride (Compass: I)
4. See You In My Dreams (DayAfter)
5. Love’s Been Waiting (DayAfter)
6. Burden (Compass : I)
7. Patience (Compass: I)
8. Bolivia (Future Prospect Osmosis Vol 1 EP)
9. Smolder (Compass: I)
10. Radio (Compass: I)
11. Radio Medley
– “If It Isn’t Love” – New Edition
– “You Don’t Have To Call – Usher
– “True” – Spandau Ballet
“Bora Bora Bootleg Encore”
12. Door (Compass: I)
13. You Are The One (Madam Palindrome)
Band
Debórah Bond – lead vocals
Drums – Kinard Cherry
Keyboards – Sean “Smiles”
Bass – Brandon Lane
Saxophone – Trey Sorrells
Rona Rawls – Background vocals
Stephan Gillis – Background vocals
