Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Original Album Series album by Bonnie Raitt was released Aug 23, 2011 on the Warner Bros. label. UK-only five CD set containing a quintet of albums from the American singer/songwriter. Original Album Series songs Each album comes in a mini-LP sleeve with all housed in attractive slipcase. Original Album Series album Includes the albums Streetlights, Home Plate, Sweet Forgiveness, The Glow and Green Light.

~ amazon

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Bonnie Raitt Biography

Long a critic's darling, singer/guitarist Bonnie Raitt did not begin to win the comparable commercial success due her until the release of the aptly titled 1989 blockbuster Nick of Time; her tenth album, it rocketed her into the mainstream consciousness nearly two decades after she first committed her unique blend of blues, rock, and R&B to vinyl. Born in Burbank, CA, on November 8, 1949, she was the daughter of Broadway star John Raitt, best known for his starring performances in such smashes as Carousel and Pajama Game. After picking up the guitar at the age of 12, Raitt felt an immediate affinity for the blues, and although she went off to attend Radcliffe in 1967, within two years she had dropped out to begin playing the Boston folk and blues club circuit. Signing with noted blues manager Dick Waterman, she was soon performing alongside the likes of idols including Howlin' Wolf, Sippie Wallace, and Mississippi Fred McDowell and in time earned such a strong reputation that she was signed to Warner Bros.

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Debuting in 1971 with an eponymously titled effort, Raitt immediately emerged as a critical favorite, applauded not only for her soulful vocals and thoughtful song selection but also for her guitar prowess, turning heads as one of the few women to play bottleneck. Her 1972 follow-up, Give It Up, made better use of her eclectic tastes, featuring material by contemporaries like Jackson Browne and Eric Kaz, in addition to a number of R&B chestnuts and even three Raitt originals. 1973's Takin' My Time was much acclaimed, and throughout the middle of the decade she released an LP annually, returning with Streetlights in 1974 and Home Plate a year later. With 1977's Sweet Forgiveness, Raitt scored her first significant pop airplay with her hit cover of the Del Shannon classic "Runaway"; its follow-up, 1979's The Glow, appeared around the same time as a massive all-star anti-nuclear concert at Madison Square Garden mounted by MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), an organization she'd co-founded earlier.

Throughout her career, Raitt remained a committed activist, playing hundreds of benefit concerts and working tirelessly on behalf of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. By the early '80s, however, her own career was in trouble – 1982's Green Light, while greeted with the usual good reviews, again failed to break her to a wide audience, and while beginning work on the follow-up, Warner unceremoniously dropped her. By this time, Raitt was also battling drug and alcohol problems as well; she worked on a few tracks with Prince, but their schedules never aligned and the material went unreleased. Instead, she finally released the patchwork Nine Lives in 1986, her worst-selling effort since her debut.

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Many had written Raitt off when she teamed with producer Don Was and recorded Nick of Time; seemingly out of the blue, the LP won a handful of Grammys, including Album of the Year, and overnight she was a superstar. 1991's Luck of the Draw was also a smash, yielding the hits "Something to Talk About" and "I Can't Make You Love Me." After 1994's Longing in Their Hearts, Raitt resurfaced in 1998 with Fundamental. Silver Lining appeared in 2002, followed by Souls Alike in 2005, both on Capitol Records. A year later, a bootleg-feel live set, Bonnie Raitt and Friends, was released, featuring guest appearances from Norah Jones and Ben Harper, among others. Raitt stepped back from the life of a professional musician over the next few years as she dealt with the passing of her parents, her brother, and her best friend. The break from recording and touring was redemptive for Raitt in many ways, and she returned focused and renewed in 2012 with her first studio album in seven years, Slipstream, released on her own new Redwing label imprint.

by Jason Ankeny

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Bonnie Raitt had delivered three stellar albums, but chart success wasn't forthcoming, even if good reviews and a cult following were. So, she teamed with producer Jerry Ragovoy for Streetlights and attempted to make the crossover record that Warner so desperately wished she'd release. Over the years, the concessions that she made here – particularly the middle-of-the road arrangements (as opposed to the appealingly laid-back sounds of her previous records), the occasional use of strings, but also some of the song selections – have consigned Streetlights to noble failure status. There's no denying that's essentially what Streetlights is, but that makes it out to seem worse than it really is. It winds up paling to the wonderful ease and warm sensuality of her first three albums – she only occasionally hits that balance – but it's still undeniably pleasant, and there are moments here where she really pulls off some terrific work, including the opening cover of Joni Mitchell's "That Song About the Midway," a good version of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery," and the much-touted take on Allen Toussaint's "What Is Success." It may be easy to lament the suppression of the laid-back sexiness and organic feel of Raitt's earlier records, but there's still enough here in that spirit to make this worthwhile.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Homeplate takes Bonnie Raitt even further down the path toward mainstream production than the unjustly maligned Streetlights, but, ironically, it works better than its predecessor. Perhaps that's because producer Paul A. Rothchild has helped Raitt craft a record that's unapologetically pitched at the mainstream, where Streetlights often seemed to be torn between two worlds. The great thing about that is, regardless of the production, the essentials of Raitt's music have not changed. It remains a wonderful hybrid of American music, built on a thoroughly impressive set of songs, all delivered with Raitt's warm, expertly shaded, and undeniably sexy singing. She's such an accomplished singer, she sells these songs through productions that are much slicker than those that graced her earlier records, plus with a supporting crew of studio musicians. This production will undoubtedly dismay listeners that just like the earthiness of Give It Up, but Homeplate is still a success because, even though the recording is glossier, Raitt and her music remain the same and, if you're looking for that, it's still irresistible.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Since Home Plate brought Bonnie Raitt within shooting distance of the Top 40, thereby being the greatest chart success she yet attained, it made sense that she re-teamed with its producer Paul A. Rothchild for its follow-up, Sweet Forgiveness. Rothchild's modus operandi remains slickness, but he has backed away from his fondness for studio musicians, letting Raitt record the majority of the record with her touring band (who only were spotted occasionally throughout Homeplate). All this means is that the near-hit "Runaway" is almost a ringer, largely because it's a poor choice for Raitt's sweetly funky Californian rock that was obviously designed as a bid for a single, therefore it was slicked up more than the rest of the record (which remains slick, but not glossy). Sweet Forgiveness is actually looser than Homeplate, a little less constrained. Then why isn't it quite as successful, artistically? That comes down to a selection of songs that aren't quite as effective as those Raitt usually picks – and, in that sense, "Runaway" was a good indicator of the album. However, the selection of material isn't bad. If the tunes don't happen to form into a whole, it's still filled with great moments, from Earl Randall's opener "About to Make Me Leave Home" to Karla Bonoff's closer "Home." Sweet Forgiveness may not be one of Raitt's unqualified successes (despite its hit status), it's still a solid record, one that's hard to deny if you're already a Raitt fan.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Bonnie Raitt enjoyed critical success and blues/folk credentials with her self-titled debut, Give It Up, and Takin' My Time. By 1975, Raitt's style began to be defined by producer Paul Rothchild. Home Plate and Sweet Forgiveness were uncomfortable overtures to commercial propositions where Raitt's persona and sense of fun got lost. Produced by Peter Asher, The Glow was released in 1979 and includes great players like Danny Kortchmar, Bill Payne, and Waddy Wachtel. During this time, sales might have been a consideration as well as Raitt's tough image. If anything, Asher accentuated Raitt's rough edges and provided his customary production polish. Like many Asher productions of the period, The Glow gets its strength from its covers. Raitt takes on "I Thank You," "You're Good Thing (Is About to End)," and "Bye Bye Baby," and struts through them all with ease. "The Boy Can't Help It" doesn't fare as well. Robert Palmer's "You're Gonna Get What's Coming" makes for a great fit. Surprisingly, her take on Jackson Browne's "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" doesn't dig as deep as the great original. The Glow isn't a perfect album, but it's a great example of the music she was doing during a make-or-break time in her career.

by Jason Elias

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close

Since 1975's Homeplate, Bonnie Raitt has veered closer to the mainstream than she has to the organic, sexy funk of her early-'70s records. This bothered many listeners, who chose to concentrate on the surface instead of the substance, but Raitt retained many of the same special qualities she demonstrated on those records into the '80s – namely, her excellent taste in material, fondness for blurring folk, blues, country, and rock, and her wonderfully subtle, always engaging, interpretations. Green Lights may suffer a bit from a production that clearly pegs it as a 1982 release, but strip away its production and it's yet another satisfying collection of roots-rockers and bluesy ballads from the always reliable Raitt. Producer Rob Fraboni's recording may be a little bit too mainstream, lacking the new wave spark of, say, Dave Edmunds' similar-sounding recordings of this era, but Raitt nevertheless rises above the limitations of the recording and delivers a tight, enjoyable collection of amiable mainstream rockers with just a hint of roots. This isn't nearly as sexy as even Sweet Forgiveness, and it doesn't have much grit, but it has spirit and is fun, and it's a nice, smooth ride for those that like the direction Raitt's going.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

×

Original Album Series: Bonnie Raitt (2011) [5CD Box Set, Rhino/Warner Bros., 8122797629] Re-up

Close