Oh, the agony it was picking the final choice. I will echo some of you in expressing regret for the ones not chosen. Very close contenders were Led Zeppelin, REM, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Gordon Lightfoot, and Steve Earle. Kerfe Roig, one of my blogmates, posted a Bonnie Raitt song yesterday and the choice became clear. Miss Bonnie Raitt it is!
Bonnie Raitt has had a total of 17 studio albums (and 29 singles) from 1971 – 2016. I started listening to her with her 10 th , 1989’s, “Nick of Time,” and bought the next 4, ending with 2002’s, “Silver Lining.” Between ’89 and ’02, the 5 albums spent a lot of time keeping me company. Now which one will be the one for the island… can’t decide between “Nick of Time” and “Luck of the Draw”! OK OK I like them both equally but Christgau gave “Nick…” a “B” and “Luck…” an “A” so that settles it.
Bonnie’s previous (and breakthrough) album, “Nick of Time,” was nominated for 4 Grammy awards. “Luck of the Draw,” released in June of 1991, surpassed Nick’s sales and is Bonnie’s best-selling album to date. One of the songs, “Good Man, Good Woman,” a duet with Delbert McClinton, won a Grammy. She dedicated the album to Stevie Ray Vaughn, who had died the year before, as he had encouraged her to give up alcohol.
Bonnie wrote three of the songs and co-wrote one of others of the 12 tracks. There were two singles released from it, “Something to Talk About” (written by Shirley Elkhard) and “I Can’t Make you Love Me” (written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin.) There is a virtual who’s who of musicians that play on the album, including: John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, Ivan Neville, Bruce Hornsby, Don Was, Tower of Power Horns, and Kris Kristofferson. I would encourage you to go to wikipedia to check out the many more listed.
Playlist:
Something to Talk About
Good Man, Good Woman
I Can’t Make you Love Me
Tangled and Dark
Come to Me
No Business
One Part Be My Lover
Not the Only One
Papa Come Quickly (Jody and Chico)
Slow Ride
Luck Of The Draw
All At Once
I won’t go through the playlist song by song but am choosing three favorites from it:
True confession: When Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw came out, I thought Bonnie Raitt was a “new” artist. I had no idea she’d already had a lengthy career. She’s one of those my wife and I can always agree on if having trouble deciding what to listen to.
Stephen, I can make that same true confession, and further, I’ve never looked into any albums before or after those 5 I have. She is nice and easy middle-of-the-road and glad you and your wife enjoy her music.
I like this pick…Bonnie Raitt paid her dues and deserved this success. I like both of the albums you mentioned.
I didn’t know about the Stevie Ray Vaughn connection…great review Lisa.
Thank you, Max, yes she has and I didn’t know about Stevie Ray either until writing this up.
I guess I get the songs on this one and ‘Nick of Time’ mixed up at times,but both have some really good standout tunes… good songs, well sung, well-played. A very fitting artist that as others say, was overdue for a bit of recognition in the late 20th Century and maybe here as well!
Thanks, Dave. Bonnie’s albums that I have have their shares of hits and misses, which make the hits all the sweeter. Glad you agree she has earned her place in the DID 🙂
Fantastic choice. I love Bonnie Raitt! She’s a superb guitarist. I also think she’s a great vocalist. But most of all, she strikes me as very genuine. There’s no BS with Bonnie. What you see is what you get.
I was fortunate to see her in New Jersey in 2016 – definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to! I would see her again in a heartbeat, if an opportunity would present itself.
I think she’s had some health issues, unfortunately. Hope she can resume touring when this crazy pandemic is over. And that I can see her again at least one more time!
So glad you like her, Christian, and seeing her live had to be a wonderful experience! I thought I saw on youtube that she does have a few concert dates but didn’t notice where or when. I agree with you that she has a genuineness to her. I also love her guitar playing and singing. She’s been in the biz for a long time and is still smiling. Sorry to hear she is having health issues 😦
That duet with Delbert is a killer.
Yes it is!
A really strong album- Raitt finally getting much deserved attention at the time -for Nick of Time and Luck Of The Draw.
Agreed, Hans. I love her bluesy funky style.
Monster album
Indeed!
My perfect Bonnie
EP would be:
1. “Nick of Time,”
because the production on that is flawless.
2. “Love has no Pride,” the live tribute to Nicollet Larson.
3. “Blowing Away,” live with Linda Rondstadt. I think it’s a tribute concert for Lowell George.
4. “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” because, well, we’ve all lived that song, right?
5. “Angel from Montgomery,” live with John Prine at the Steve Goodman tribute.
Will have to check 2 & 3 out on youtube. I know I love Linda on #3 on Heart like a Wheel and imagining adding Bonnie to that mix would be celestial. Another one I adore her singing is Dimming of the Day, the Richard & Linda Thompson tune:
Oh yes! Dimming of the Day. Thanks for reminding me!
Just found #3 on youtube. Oops wrong song, I was thinking of “Keep Me from Blowing Away.” This is so beautiful!!!!!!
Nice pick Lisa. This is a terrific album. Though I don’t own any of Bonnie Raitt’s records, I’ve long been a fan. She’s a great songwriter with a wonderful voice, and a pretty good guitarist too boot. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is my favorite song of hers, followed by “Nick of Time” and “Something to Talk About”.
Thanks Jeff and glad that you enjoy her singing and guitar playing.
I feel your agony in choosing the 10th album! Bonnie belongs on someone’s island for sure. I have tried and tried to enjoy her music, but she’s simply not for me. That’s ‘my’ problem, I think. Great selection.
Thanks Diana!
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I have to admit I love the traditional blues on her first few albums, which really showcase her guitar chops as well. And “Love Has No Pride” always gives me chills. She also does a killer version of Randy Newman’s “Guilty”. And her duets…well, who could choose? You did–but can’t go wrong with any of them. (K)