Bonnie Raitt was 40 when she became a star. It was central to her origin myth; she’d already lived a lifetime or two, both personally and professionally, before 1989′s “Nick of Time” hit No. 1 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. People simply don’t become pop stars at that stage in their lives, but Raitt did, and the 74-year-old singer and guitarist who sold out the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Saturday night was perfectly at ease in her skin and in her music.
She had cause to be. Her voluminous red hair, with its attendant white streak, may or may not get outside assistance these days. Still, Raitt’s two other trademarks — her authoritative rasp and her masterful slide guitar playing — can’t be faked, and they both remained stunningly undiminished by the years. Caressing her voice around the self-flagellating “Blame It on Me” with gorgeous, bluesy skill before slipping into the slow glide of her solo, she made the song as sexy as if she’d recorded it half a century ago.
Raitt place, Raitt time
Bonnie Raitt can’t be summed up easily. Some people might view her as a sassy blues singer, some as a no-nonsense social activist, and some as an observant balladeer who writes deeply serious songs such as “Nick of Time” (a 1990 Grammy winner about a woman wanting to get pregnant before it’s too late) and “Just Like That,” a stunning track about a heart transplant survivor that won a Grammy last year for song of the year. It turns out, of course, that Raitt is all of the above and more.
Ironically, for a setlist that touched on her pre-”Nick of Time” career once, a number of songs sounded like they could have played on the radio in the late 1970s next to the likes of Boz Scaggs, from the simmering bump of “Made Up Mind” to the blues-funk of “Used to Rule the World.” Toots Hibbert’s “Love So Strong,” meanwhile, had elements of reggae (the watery organ, the guitar chop) but wasn’t played that way, thanks largely to drummer Ricky Fataar opting instead for a subtle roll.
Following their boss’s lead, Raitt’s four-piece band rarely opted for fireworks, but the ease that they demonstrated never read as laziness or disinterest. Instead, it was more like slipping comfortably into well-worn boots. “Million Miles” sneaked around with a lopsided shuffle that became more and less forceful throughout, as if it were occasionally holding its breath. The band radiated joy with the clean guitar pings of Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi’s “Hear Me Lord.” (Raitt was consistently generous about crediting her songs’ writers and original artists.) And they played with a feather touch that reinforced the gentle heartbreak of “Just Like That.”
So did a sympathetic vocal from Raitt, whose most affecting singing came with words and melodies that she could wrap her voice gently around. Half-speaking many of the lyrics, she floated atop the delicate and airy “Angel From Montgomery”; she never pushed on “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” letting each note land softly but with great feeling, the blues in feel and topic if not in actual sound. It was her only song without an instrument in hand. And still, she had everything she could need.
Bonnie Raitt, with James Hunter
At: MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Saturday
What a great time was had by all on Saturday night at Bonnie’s sold out show at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway. She was honored to have fellow soul rocker Peter Wolf at the show. Here’s a photo of them backstage after the show. Bonnie thanks all the fans, her band and crew, The James Hunter Six and their MGM hosts for a fantastic night! — BRHQ Photo by Duke Levine
About The Author
Marc Hirsh
Marc Hirsh lives in the Boston area, where he indulges in the magic trinity of improv comedy, competitive adult four square and music journalism. He has won trophies for one of these, but refuses to say which. He writes for the Boston Globe and has also been spotted on MSNBC and in the pages of Amplifier, the Nashville Scene, the Baltimore City Paper and Space City Rock, where he is the co-publisher and managing editor. He once danced onstage with The Flaming Lips while dressed as a giant frog. It was very warm.
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In celebration of the band’s 50th Anniversary, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have just released Struck Down, their first studio album in eight years on Stony Plain Records. The ten-track album includes a wonderful cover of Memphis Minnie’s “Nothing in Rambling,” featuring longtime friends, T-Birds founding member Kim Wilson, along with Bonnie, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal and Mick Fleetwood. — BRHQ
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Little Feat - Long Distance Call
“I’ve always loved Little Feat and this new incarnation of the band is bringing some serious heat, cred and new blood to their enduring legacy. Every Feat fan loves us some Sam. I’m so glad he’s now gotten a chance to step out front and center and put his spin on these wonderful blues songs. I loved singing "Long Distance Call" with him, always one of my favorites, and Scott slayed on slide. Know you’ll enjoy hanging out with us at Sam’s Place!" -- Bonnie Raitt
“Long Distance Call” was written by blues legend, Muddy Waters. It has Sam Clayton and Bonnie Raitt on vocals, Scott Sharrard on Dobro, Fred Tackett on acoustic guitar, Tony Leone on drums, and Michael “The Bull” LoBue on harmonica. The album also features Bill Payne on piano and Kenny Gradney on bass.
Little Feat have composed an album that’s their love letter to the blues entitled, ‘Sam’s Place.’ “Long Distance Call” plus many other blues classics are on this album. You can stream and order ‘Sam’s Place’ here: https://orcd.co/samsplace
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, the anticipated new John Prine tribute record from Oh Boy Records, is out today. Stream/purchase HERE.
Created as a celebration of Prine’s life and career, the album features new renditions of some of Prine’s most beloved songs performed by Brandi Carlile (“I Remember Everything”), Tyler Childers (“Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You”), Iris DeMent (“One Red Rose”), Emmylou Harris (“Hello In There”), Jason Isbell (“Souvenirs”), Valerie June (“Summer’s End”), Margo Price (“Sweet Revenge”), Bonnie Raitt (“Angel From Montgomery”), Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (“Pretty Good”), Amanda Shires (“Saddle in the Rain”), Sturgill Simpson(“Paradise”) and John Paul White (“Sam Stone”). Proceeds from the album will benefit twelve different non-profit organizations, one selected by each of the featured artists.
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Bonnie Raitt - Write Me a Few of Your Lines/Kokomo Blues
60 years anniversary celebration of Arhoolie
December 10, 2020
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Arhoolie Foundation celebrates it's 60th anniversary (1960-2020) with an online broadcast.
Bonnie Raitt - Shadow of Doubt
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
October 3, 2020
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass celebrates it's 20th anniversary with an online broadcast titled “Let The Music Play On”.
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Bonnie Raitt & Boz Scaggs - You Don't Know Like I Know
Farm Aid 2020 On the Road
Sam & Dave classic written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
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Sheryl Crow & Bonnie Raitt - Everything Is Broken
[Eric Clapton’s Crossroads 2019]
Eric Clapton, one of the world’s pre-eminent blues/rock guitarists, once again summoned an all-star team of six-string heroes for his fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2019. Held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the two-day concert event raised funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, the chemical dependency treatment and education facility that Clapton founded in 1998.
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'A Tribute To Mose Allison'
Celebrates The Music Of An Exciting Jazz Master
Raitt contributed to a new album, If You're Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison, which celebrates the late singer and pianist, who famously blended the rough-edged blues of the Mississippi Delta with the 1950s jazz of New York City.
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Bonnie Raitt about her friendship with the Mose Allison. They're also joined by Amy Allison — his daughter, who executive produced the album — about selecting an unexpected list of artists to contribute songs to the album.
Recorded on tour June 3, 2017 - Centennial Hall, London - Ontario Canada
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