The Best Of Delaney & Bonnie

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Delaney & Bonnie

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Mention Delaney and Bonnie today and most people will ask "Who?" It's been a long time since this soul rockin' duo from the early 1970s last released an album. With the possible exception of "Only You Know and I Know," a terrific Dave Mason cover which cracked the top 20 in the U.S., you are unlikely to hear a single song by this pair on nostalgic radio. Too bad. Those uninitiated are missing out on a soul-soaked time capsule that will have you tapping your feet and singing along.

This greatest hits compilation - or perhaps greatest moments - give us the best of this short-lived union. A husband and wife team, Delaney and Bonnie combined elements of blues, soul and rock that would put Big Brother and the Holding Company to shame. In fact, their cover on this album of "Piece of My Heart" is as bluesy and whiskey-soaked as Janis Joplin's own legendary version. They also wrote and performed the now-classic "Groupie (Superstar)," which was eventually covered by The Carpenters. Thankfully, that memorable cut is also included on this CD.

Delaney and Bonnie's singalong anthems including "Get Outselves Together," "When the Battle is Over" and "Soul Shake" are extraordinary testaments of a time and place in American music when top-40 culture first embraced the best elements of roots rock. Listen closely, and the riffs of Grateful Dead, The Band and, of course, Eric Clapton (who discovered this duo) are instantly recognizable.

Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell's voice is a stunning combination of Janis and Tina Turner, and her shrill gusto is worth the price of this CD alone. But combine the bluesy screech of Delaney Brammet with a who's who band list of members who played with everyone from Joe Cocker to Elvis Presley, and you have an extraordinary CD that brings back a time and a place when such rock and roll fushion was in its infancy.

Delaney and Bonnie's divorce eventually ended this brief union of music, but "The Best of Delaney and Bonnie" recaptures their energetic and raw magic (many of these cuts are live tunes). A nostalgic trip? Yes. But like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, you can proudly blast this CD at maximum volume with the comfortable realization that spirited, soul-searching rock never truly dies.