Customer Reviews

Bonnie Raitt

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have listened to this disc (or album or tape depending on the era) since I was 17 (now 38). What a great blues/folk disc. Her voice is earthy and experienced and the backing musicians create an incredible warmth for that great voice. I can issue ANYONE a money back guarantee on this disc. I have recommended it to dozens of friends over they years and they always thank me profusely. So if your musical tastes run from the Allman Brothers to Joni Mitchell or anywhere in between, trust me and go get this disc.

I do like Nick of Time and some of the tunes on Silver Lining, but I think this is the real Bonnie Raitt. The music has a little raw edge to it (it was recorded in a garage after all) but, the slide guitar work is great, and it clearly shows Bonnie Raitt was had a lot of talent even at the tender age of 21. It doesn't hurt that Junior Wells, local heros Willie Murphy and Dave Ray (of Koerner Ray and Glover) were involved. This is a great album.

Forget the slickly-produced stuff that came later... this is the pure, unadulterated Bonnie Raitt! Recorded at an empty summer camp in Minnesota, this record has a great laid-back & intimate feel. I've tried a couple of other Raitt albums, but none can duplicate the musical camaraderie & unique feel of this one. So what was in that Minnesota water?

While there were some people who recognized Bonnie's talent from the beginning, Bonnie had to wait almost twenty years after its release for her major breakthrough, during which time she gradually acquired more fans. So it was that this album, which remains one of Bonnie's best, has continued to sell steadily as all those new fans discover Bonnie's legacy. This album mixes blues, pop, rock and R+B - other influences came later - though blues is the main influence here.

Bonnie wrote two of the songs here (Thank you, Finest loving man) but relied mainly on covers, beginning with a cover of Bluebird (written by Stephen Stills, famous as a member first of Buffalo Springfield then of Crosby Stills and Nash). One of Bonnie's major influences, Sippie Wallace, is represented by two songs (Mighty tight woman, Women be wise) while Bonnie also covers Any day woman (Paul Siebel), Walking blues (Robert Johnson) and Since I fell for you (Bud Johnson) among others.

No serious Bonnie Raitt fan should be without this classic album.

Great straight ahead rockin' blues numbers. "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" and "Bluebird" are great songs, possibly some of her best early work. A must buy for any true Blues fan. This is my #1 Bonnie Raitt album.

Bonnie Raitt has a great, enduring voice that sustains a wide range of styles. Her forte is R&B and has been a student as well as a leader with an interpretive force of her own.

Her rendition of "Women Be Wise" is excellent--and she always gives credit to the original artist/writer, in this case Sippy Wallace, and her musicians.

Speaking of musicians, she always seems to attract the best support and production folks. It shows on every cut, every solo, every riff.

One has to admire both her talent and intellectual integrity.

I bought this first as a vinyl LP, then a cassette tape and now as a CD. I hadn't heard it for 10 or more years and it sounds even better now!!!!

If you're in doubt-buy this CD!

I simply cannot believe that I am the first person to review this album. Bonnie and her friends hid themselves away in a cabin and produced one of THE premiere blues albums. If you've every wondered where her reputaion comes from (ties w/ Muddy etc.) you will clearly understand the first time she slides up a note. Purely fantastic!

I have been a fan since the first time I heard this album.
I enjoyed each successive release, but more on a cut by cut basis up until the release of "Nick of Time." That's when I stopped buying her music. This one is the one I still love all the way through.
There is a joy to this music. Bonnie and her fellow musicians had a good time making this record, and that is obvious to anyone who listens to it.

A truly great blues record with the contribution of Junior Wells. It is unfortunate that Bonnie went far afield of these roots to become much more commercially successful. A great time capsule of the beginning of her career as a guitar player and singer.