Effortless. Like an eagle soaring in a calm wind. This is how Bonnie Raitt delivers her music. Back in September of 2005, Raitt played a concert for VH1 Classic in Atlantic City at the Trump Taj Mahal. It would have been enough to record Raitt and her band alone, release a live concert album and it would have sold millions. Instead, they delivered a knock-out punch by inviting some friends and producing both a CD and DVD of the peformance. Don’t think these friends were just some kids from down the block. Instead, living legends were invited to the stage. That’s right, Keb’ Mo’ (blues), Norah Jones (jazz, country), Ben Harper (roots-rock) and Allison Krauss (bluegrass, country). Joe Torre couldn’t have picked a better lineup.
The Capitol Records CD/DVD release includes 17 songs performed with her stellar band – George Marinelli (guitar), James “Hutch†Hutchinson (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums) and Jon Cleary (keyboards). The album features Raitt classics such as “Something To Talk About,†“Love Letter†(with Mo’), “You†(with Krauss) as well as highlights from her latest studio album, Souls Alike, including “I Will Not Be Broken,†“God Was In The Waterâ€, “I Don’t Want Anything To Change†(with Jones) and “Unnecessarily Mercenary†(a duet with keyboardist Cleary, who wrote the song). The performance closes with an encore of “Love Sneakin’ Up On Youâ€with Raitt, Jones, Harper, Krauss and Mo’.
These performances will blow you away, especially the soulful rollicking and wailing guitars of Raitt and Harper on “Two Lights in the Nighttime” a particular highlight. For true fans, to witness this concert live must have been an opportunity of a lifetime. The only unfortunate thing is that some of the songs seen on the DVD are excluded from the CD. For instance, you’ll have to watch the DVD (well worth it) to see and hear “Papa Come Quick” (featuring Alison Krauss), “No Gettin’ Over You” (featuring Keb’ Mo’) and “Tennessee Waltz” (featuring Norah Jones).
Hear a preview “Bonnie Raitt and Friends”
The album was released on August 15, 2006 and can be purchased directly from Raitt’s Official Store, Amazon or iTunes.
About the author: Washington, D.C. area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.