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 Bonnie
Raitt - Music |
| Bonnie
Raitt - Books |
Born Nov. 8, 1949 in Los Angeles,
California. Long before she became an exemplar of '90s adult-pop success
with multi-platinum albums and armfuls of Grammys, Bonnie Raitt was a beacon
of artistic integrity. That somewhat dry phrase hardly does justice to
the blend of blues, singer/songwriter rock and soul standards on funky
and fun '70s albums like her self-titled debut, Give It Up and Home Plate.
Her occasional foray into the
mainstream during that decade -- notably a 1977 version of Del Shannon's
"Runaway" that became a minor hit single -- was hardly typical: fan favorites
were more likely to run along the lines of the mournful "Louise" or the
sassy "Women Be Wise" (the blues classic that she occasionally performed
live with its author, Sippie Wallace). After Nine Lives (1986), Raitt
left her long-time label, Warner Bros.,and signed with Capitol. She emerged
in 1989 with Nick of Time, which matched an ultra-personal title song (as
much a revelation to her, it seemed, as to her listeners) with a hard-edged
treatment of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love," the poppy reggae of "Have
a Heart" with a piano ballad, "I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again."
After winning a Grammy trifecta
including Album of the Year, it went to number one in Billboard. Nick's
Don Was produced formula made for another four-million seller, Luck
of the Draw, but 1994's Longing in Their Hearts proved less successful.
After a live album, Road Tested, she made a welcome left turn on Fundamental,
which was of a piece with some of the best of her early Warners music.Source:Amazon.com |
Streetlights
Bonnie's first attempt at winning
an audience, this album also introduces "Angel from Montgomery," the definitive
version of John Prine's piercing ballad. |
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Bonnie
Raitt
Raitt's self-titled debut, recorded
when she was only 21 years old, is a stunner that still holds up decades
later. Her slide-guitar skills are already in place, and her choice of
material--which includes a reading for Stephen Stills's folk-rock gem "Bluebird,"
a sinuous take of Robert Johnson's classic "Walkin' Blues," a bluesy reworking
of the Marvelettes' "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead," and a pair of fine
originals ("Thank You" and "Finest Lovin' Man")--is impeccable. Best of
all are two songs from Raitt's mentor, Sippie Wallace--"Women Be Wise"
and the startlingly randy "Mighty Tight Woman." It was clear from the beginning
that Raitt's was a career to watch. --Daniel Durchholz |
Give
It Up [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
This 1972 collection set the bar
it took years for Raitt to clear again. Moving easily between sensitive
singer-songwriter and bawdy blues-mama roles, the blazing redhead proved
she was a talent to watch on several fronts. Raitt demonstrated a keen
instinct for finding suitable material, adopting Jackson Browne's "Under
the Falling Sky" and Eric Kaz's "Love Has No Pride" as if she'd penned
them herself. The honeyed vocals and slashing slide guitar heard on Give
It Up identified Raitt instantly to anyone who encountered this album.
Unfortunately, it would be nearly two decades before many did catch on
to her appeal.S.Stolder |
Takin
My Time [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Along with Give It Up, Bonnie Raitt's
third album, Takin' My Time, stands as her finest work prior to her
1989 critical and commercial watershed, Nick of Time. Raitt is backed on
the album by members of Little Feat as well as Taj Mahal, legendary New
Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, and Rolling Stones sax man Ernie Watts, giving
the album a loose, grooving vibe. --Daniel Durchholz |
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Bonnie
Raitt: Road Tested (1995) VHS
Bonnie is a great artist and this
was a great concert. |
Road
Tested [LIVE]
A sense of self-confidence permeates
Road Tested. If the '70s were marked by promise and the '80s by disappointment,
the '90s, thanks to three smash studio albums, have been sheer triumph
for Raitt, and she sounds damned satisfied. Her first live recording after
24 years in the business, Road Tested is an all-things-to-all-people effort,
unsurprising given its creator has become all things to an awful lot of
people. Steadfast favorites, '90s hits, and fresh additions to her repertoire
are spiced by guest appearances by Bruce Hornsby, Ruth Brown, Charles Brown,
Jackson Browne, Kim Wilson, and Bryan Adams. Raitt is in fine voice, her
playing is great, and the band is solid. What's missing? Maybe some of
that vanquished brashness and desperation. --Steve Stolder |
Green
Light [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] Bonnie Raitt
The late '70s found Bonnie Raitt
casting about for a new musical direction. Ironically, she found it on
1982's Green Light by going back to the basics. The album finds her using
her road musicians, the Bump Band (including former Faces keyboardist Ian
McLagan) and handling most of the guitar chores herself, resulting in a
confident, high energy set. The hard-charging "Willy Wontcha" rocks with
abandon, as do Raitt's covers of a pair of NRBQ tunes, "Me and the Boys"
and "Green Lights." There's also a Bob Dylan track, "Let's Keep It Between
Us" and a little easy in the islands charm, courtesy of Eddy Grant's
"Baby Come Back."
--Daniel Durchholz |
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