Slipstream

Bonnie Raitt SLIPSTREAM 2012

I've been watching for SLIPSTREAM since I heard in January that Bonnie was gearing up for a big tour with a new collection, and on her own record label, Redwing. I knew those of us that have followed her for years and years were in for a treat. Well, the wait is over and Slipstream is out and its a BIG, BLUESY, ROCKING, HEARTBREAKING, SOULFUL FEAST!! Everything that Bonnie has done well over the years is in full display here. Bonnie, for starters has so many outstanding vocals tracks, her slide guitar just explodes and tears it up in their settings, Mike Finnigan on keyboards color many of these tracks nice and eerie in places. This is after all a guitar based collection and working with the likes of bandmate George Marinelli, and guests Bill Frisell, Al Anderson, Johnny Lee Schell adds so much depth to the sound. Bonnie's road band shines, just listen to the 6 min jam on "Ain't gonna let you go", a blues fest romp with so much slide, so much Bonnie! The Bonnie Raitt band just shine all over Slipstream but I think you really must give credit to what seems to be the spark and that is Joe Henry and his bandmates, who have lit a big fire under Bonnie and give Slipstream that extra depth and musicanship that sets this way apart and moves it into classic description. Having Ryan Freeland join forces on both of these "sessions" and bringing them together seamlessly should be noted. The Dylan cuts "Million miles" and "Standing by the doorway" are just outstanding pieces of music, Bonnie(in these settings) is another artist to reckoning with down the road and "You can't fail me now" and "God only knows"(a Henry gem) float above all these cuts with their studio genius and elegant class.
That's not to mean in any way that what Bonnie has produced is inferior. Bonnie has fashioned a really excellent collection of road songs, "Down to You" and "Split decision" rock(mixing Rolling Stones and NRBQ with a dash of Little Feat) and are fun rollicking songs that grow on you with each listen and will sound so hot on the stage! Two really exciting soulful radio pefections, "Take my love with you"(has really "hit" potential) in the best sense of the word and "Not cause I wanted to" is a perfect update of the strengths of "I can't make you love me", its that strong a vocal and heartbreakingly real sentiments. Bonnie has taken the late Gerry Rafferty's late 70's gem "Right down the line" and given it a nice reggae/skank groove that lifts these beautiful words that everyone can relate to and should be heard on radio. "Use to rule the world", the opener and funky, jazzy rocker starts the set off,a Randall Bramblett penned look at many of us over the years who find their lives passing them by and scratching their heads, a clever song that will sound great on the radio. Its been close to 20 years since Bonnie "peaked" as they call in in the music world but like she did with "NICk OF TIME", she comes out of nowhere, once considered "washed up" back in the mid 80's and "SURPRISE, SURPRISE" as Gomer Pyle once said, she's back around again and she sounds so natual, elegant, classy and rocking harder than ever and that blues side of her combines for one heck of a comeback(if you want to call it that), sure she's done many of these styles but never has she sounded or prepared such a

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