Sevens the Easy Way (series)

Streetlights

by Bonnie Raitt

Product Description:

Personnel: Bonnie Raitt (vocals, guitar); David Spinozza, Jeff Mironov, John Tropea, Jerry Friedman, Robert Mann, John Hall, Charles Brown (guitar); Don Grolnick, Leroy Pendarvis (keyboards); Bob Babbitt, Freebo, Richard Davis (bass instrument); Stephen Gadd (drums); Ralph MacDonald, Arthur Jenkins (percussion); David Lasley, Lou Courtney, Sharon Redd, Tasha Thomas, Natalie Venable, Carl Hall (background vocals).

Recording information: The Hit Factory, New York, New York.

STREETLIGHTS represents Bonnie Raitt's attempt to transition from the rootsy, blues-based aesthetic of her first three albums toward a more accessible crossover sound. Producer Jerry Ragavoy de-emphasized Raitt's guitar work and loaded up the studio with female background singers, slick horn arrangements, and a particular focus on Raitt's often overlooked, sweet vocal style.

Though she didn't write any of the material on STREETLIGHTS, Raitt's treatment of songs by the likes of Joni Mitchell ("That Song about the Midway") and James Taylor ("Rainy Day Man") are performed with an authority and nuance that let the singer claim them as her own. Allen Toussaint's "What Is Success" is given an appropriately sassy reading that would fit neatly into any light-rock radio station's rotation, and Raitt's loving rendition of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery," one of the album's highlights, has since become a staple of her live shows. Early fans may have criticized the change signaled by STREETLIGHTS, but it is an undeniably strong release that highlights Raitt's skills as an interpreter and performer.