The Bucket List

On The Bucket List, San Francisco-based rock trio The Sound Field balances its offerings between muscular road-house rockers (“Deep Red Joy,” “You Better Duck”) and equally passionate ballads (“This House,” “Somewhere in Time”). Led by vocalist and songwriter Deborah Grabien—who many know as a successful novelist and rock critic—the band includes her husband of 34 years, Nic Grabien, on bass, and Larry Luthi on drums. Many renowned session-playing friends add indelible color to the album, including Pete Sears (piano), David Lindley (strings), Mark Karan (lead guitar), Jason Crosby (violin), and Mookie Siegel (keyboards). “Tell Me Again” has a little bit of that Bo Diddley rhythmic vibe (à la The Dead’s version of “Not Fade Away”), made more interesting by Deborah’s dynamic vocals, Sears’ piano and the Celtic quality of Crosby’s violin. And Deborah’s wordsmith skills—she wrote/co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs—are on display throughout, as on the picture painted in “Deep Red Joy”: “I said I know an all-night Chinese joint, you drown your troubles in bok choy.”