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For UK award-winning husband and wife rock duo When Rivers Meet – Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin, violin) and Aaron Bond (vocals, guitar) – appearing on Joe Bonamassa’s recent ‘Keeping the Blues Alive’ cruise was the ideal opportunity to further When Rivers Meet in so many ways. Judging by the footage from the cruise, and the early word, it was mission accomplished for Team Bond. Having built up a considerable following in the UK the old-school way through hard work and creating a bulging community of like-minded fans, the next logical step for When Rivers Meet is to spread out further afield and gain a foothold in Europe (Germany for instance would love WRM) and perhaps even North America where the lucrative amphitheater season is crying out for some Bondy action. Striking while the iron is still hot from the publicity and recognition that Bonamassa’s jaunt around Greece brought, Grace and Aaron are set to release their latest album ‘Aces Are High’ and as the Reservoir Dogs ‘Let’s Go to Work’-themed cover suggests, the Bonds mean business.
Blues-rock can often be a genre that remains quite stagnant and at times almost cookie-cutter-like. But what When Rivers Meet excel at is constantly mixing it up and offering different colours to the blues-rock palette, so much so at times during ‘Aces Are High’ the duo has more in common with acts such as Rival Sons, and The Black Keys (the rip-roaring ‘The Secret’ is where The Black Keys would be today if they had not elected to “go back to their roots” on 2019’s ‘Delta Kream’ album) than they have with acts you might consider as traditional blues-rock such as Thunder, early Whitesnake (RIP Bernie Marsden), and even the Captain of the Cruise; Joe Bonamassa. Listen to gnarly album opener ‘Infected’ and it’s easy to imagine the Bonds linking up with ‘Keys main man Dan Auerbach. Ditto the boot-stomping, handclapping, thigh-slapping ‘Seen It All Before’ which packs a hell of a lot into its three minutes: including some intoxicating vocals from Grace, and lashings of the fuzzy guitar licks that are quickly becoming Aaron’s trademark, and of which the fuzzlord himself – Scott Holiday of Rival Sons – would surely twirl his majestical moustache in approval. The grooves laid down during the mid-section of ‘Play My Game’ are also noteworthy, especially the thick basslines from two minutes in which are top-notch; couple those with Grace’s howling vocals as the song builds to a stunning conclusion and you have one the standout moments on the album.
The gigantic title track (which sounds simply massive when cranked up) acts as the midpoint of the album and totally slaps. But for all the power, all the might featured within ‘Aces Are High’, it’s one of the softer moments that stand out the most. ‘Golden’ is the show-stopper of the ten tracks. With haunting vocals from Aaron, the intro recalls Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way’; stark and uncompromising. Unlike the ‘Nevermind’ classic – which features only Kurt Cobain – ‘Golden’ grows into a gorgeous duet with both voices intertwining perfectly as the song unravels with stunning arrangements and spellbinding choral vocals. Simply incredible, and the only thing left to do once it fades out is press “repeat”. ‘By Your Side’ is similar in style and pace, and had ‘Golden’ not been so strong then there is a strong chance that this one would have stolen the show, although, album closer ‘5 Minutes Until Midnight’ might just have something to say about that. One tip with ‘5 Minutes Until Midnight’ though, make sure the volume is way up on this one and watch out as the song explodes to life at 01:10 minutes – the Maxell “Blown Away Guy” ad from the 80s springs to mind.
Surely it’s only a matter of time before the prestigious Mascot Label Group comes knocking on Casa Bond? Got to get them into overseas markets though as there is a Where Rivers Meet-sized gap there for the taking.
‘Aces Are High’ is self-released via One Road Records on September 15th and is available to pre-order here.
Review – Dave
Portrait photo credit – Rob Blackham
Live photo credit – Rob Wilkins/Steelhouse Festival
LIVE APPEARANCES
SEPTEMBER
16th – Hop Harvest Festival, Farnham
27th – O2 Academy 2, Islington (Sold Out)
OCTOBER
6th – Cornwall Rocks Festival, Looe
NOVEMBER
12th – Whitby Blues, Rhythm & Rock, Whitby
WHEN RIVERS MEET
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