Customer Reviews

Silver Lining

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Reviewer: STEVE BASKIN from SPRINGDALE, AR USA
Sometimes reviewers obviously write reviews after probably not listening to what they are reviewing. From some I've read here, that's the case. This is a solid CD. You will listen to each cut many times, enjoying it more and more each time you hear it. As a professional musician, I bought the CD thinking it would have one or two tunes to cover. As it turns out, I told our lead singer, she would love the first seven tunes. She called back and added two more! This CD is full , not partially full, but full of great song writing. At times, Bonnie sounds like the Staples such as the cut, "Time of Our Lives". "Valley of Pain" sounds like contemporary Christian. Contrary to "Valley of Pain", you'll need to listen to "Gnawing On It" at a lower volume around insightful children...the bari sax is perfect for the tune and Bonnie "guts it out". My favorite cut of the CD is "Wounded Heart", simply because it's such a nice ballad, well written and well performed. The opening cut, "Fool's Game" sounds much like Bonnie through and through as does "I Can't Help You Now". The blues cuts are great if you are a blues fan. To throw another curve ball, with a bit of slider, is "Monkey Business". If you like funky, Bonnie can be and is on this tune. Initially I thought she was singing a tune which she wasn't really suited for, when in fact, after listening to her sing it now many times, I've figured out what a talented singer Bonnie is in that she really can get funky.

I used to think of Bonnie Raitt and her bands as good house bands, but after her last few CD's, I've decided she is definitely moving into legend status with me. This CD certainly helps her gain the respect of those not so in tune with her music. She surpasses my expectations, based on my past experiences of both listening and playing her music. I base my ratings/reviews on how many times I hit the fast forward button...I think after two listenings you will never hit the fast forward button again. Also, I can certainly see Grammy slidin' in for this CD. Buy it!

As I opened up Bonnie's 16th release after retrieving it from my mailbox, I suddenly realized I was more excited about getting this CD than I was a few weeks ago when my tax refund came in the mail! If you can relate to that kind of obsession with Raitt's music, then you are going to love this CD.

Produced by Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom, who also produced 1998's Fundamental", this CD takes you through many different styles of music and moods, which is something I have always loved about Bonnie's albums. If you are looking for a traditional blues album, then this CD might not be for you, but if you enjoy many different styles of blues mixed with sounds of the Big Easy, Funk, a little Caribbean tossed in for good measure, then hop on board and hang on baby! Of course Bonnie's wicked slide guitar is always on the menu.

The interesting mix of song styles is attributed to the 15 guest artists and 5 guest vocalists who grace this release, in addition to her "house band" consisting of Hutch "The Touch" Hutchinson on bass, Ricky Fataar on drums, George Marinelli on guitar and the most recent addition of Jon Cleary on keyboards. I saw Jon with Bonnie's band back in September at the Puyallup Fair show and was impressed with his playing ability, which captured some of the early Littlefeat style of Billy Payne.

Bonnie wrote or co-wrote 3 of the 12 songs on Silver Lining. The title track is a David Grey song, which is also on his 1999 release White Ladder. The CD jumps in headfirst with Track one - Fools Game, which has that Big Easy, Littlefeat groove to it. Track 10 - No Getting Over You, also continues the feel, with Bonnie and her incredible custom National Slide Guitar. Track 3 - I Can't Help You Now was the first single released prior to the albums release date and is getting a lot of airplay locally. Bluesman Roy Rogers co-wrote and plays slide on Track 5 - Gnawin' on it, which is a nasty, hot blues number. With lyrics like - "I got to get off early, I just got to get you home, Gonna show you, little woman, why a dog loves a bone", Bonnie is indeed in her element, and loving every minute of it.

Other notable songs are the Motown-inspired Time of Our Lives (Track 4), and Monkey Business, (Track 6), written by Keyboardist Jon Cleary. This one lays down the funk the way only Bonnie can do it. Then Bonnie takes you through two gospel-inspired numbers, Valley of Pain and Hear Me Lord. Habib Koite and Bamada lend some very interesting sounds to the acoustic mix of Back Around (Track 11).

This is one of those releases that will quickly become a favorite. It is very obvious that Bonnie had a lot of fun putting this one out.

My then sister-in-law traded me her new Bonnie Raitt album for my Rita Coolidge. Too bluesy she said. That was 1973. I was hooked. Bonnie's albums define sections of my life. Homeplate: My youngest daughter was born. The Glow: I sobered up a year later. And so it goes. I loved the decidedly non-commercial aspects of her work. Then she gained popularity with her pop flavored Grammy winners. Good for her. Her talent deserves recognition. But,her most popular albums are my least favorite of her work, though I still like them.
I can't believe 30 years have gone by. Well...
I judge an album's appeal by the number of days it stays on my car player. I commute two hours a day. A seven day cd is exceptional. Steve Earle got it with Transcendental Blues. Willie with Milk Cow Blues. Bonnie's Silver Lining is at 7 days and holding. I love that woman's voice, her phrasing, her guitar playing and the guys who pick with her. Bonnie fans will dig this cd. Folks who still like melody, lyrics, and emotional phrasing will like this cd, as well.
I like every cut on this album, though Back Around has an appeal for me that is most visceral. This is one of those recordings that makes me feel as though I got my money's worth. Believe me, I have lots of recordings that makes me feel as though I didn't.

"Consistency" vs. "Innovation" is at the essence of any artist's progression, particularly one with a track record such as the Queen of The Slide. While other artists of her "generation" have genre hopped (Linda Ronstadt), or played follow the trend (Rickie Lee Jones' Ghostyhead), Bonnie just keeps putting out entertaining records that don't deviate (too much) from a successful blues-based form. There's a lot to be said for that, and this new project strongly supports the argument.

Most of the songs on "Silver Lining" play to Bonnie's strong points - strong guitar work, interesting lyrics, subdued harmonies. Bonnie's voice is also in very strong form, which is very welcome in an era of studio created vocals that lack eemotion.
"I Can't Help You Now" reminds you exactly why you buy a Bonnie Raitt CD - it's a breezy, emotion laden track, with just enough rhythm support to keep the arrangement interesting. "Gnawing On It", the best song on this disc features outstanding guitar work. Other highlights are "Fool's Game", and "Silver Lining", written by the ever-tuneful David Gray (Babylon).
Most of these songs are going to sound great played at outdoor arenas this summertime. As fans of Bonnie know, it's the live performances that are the fiercest display of her many talents. I'm looking forward to hearing most of this album live.

Bonnie Raitt sounds great on "Silver Lining," her best album in years. I especially enjoyed her sensuous vocal, backed by bluesy guitar licks and barrelhouse piano, on the raunchy song "Gnawin' On It." There's no subtlety to the lyrics. "I got to take off early, I just got to get you home. Gonna show you, little woman, why a dog loves a bone." This is followed by the similarly themed "Monkey Business." This eclectic collection also has a spiritual side. "Hear Me Lord" is a gospel song that features a shimmering guitar sound, very reminiscent of Paul Simon's "Graceland." The album closes out with the beautiful ballad "Wounded Heart." With its heartfelt delivery and poignant piano accompaniment, it compares favorably to her classic "Angel From Montgomery." I wish that every dark cloud had a silver lining as bright and beautiful as this album!

I'm a little surprised at some of the fair-to-middlin'
reviews I've read here. This CD is by far one of the
best Bonnie has recorded. The vocals are gritty and
full of feeling, sensitive without being cloying. The
musicianship is superb, it's the strongest batch of songs
she's recorded in about ten years. And thank the Lord,
they had the good sense to play down the sound effects
which marred the last CD "Fundamental". Bonnie Raitt is
a real, traditional musician. She doesn't need bleeps and
blips to make her more "current". Listen to me, if you
have EVER been a fan of Bonnie Raitt, this CD will give
you lots of pleasure. 'Nuff said!

This cd not only doesn't have a bad song on it, they are all, in fact, very good. Her career has seemed to have gone somewhat quiet from her "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" heyday, but this offering is as strong and possibly stronger than anything else she has put out. Strong vocals and musicianship throughout the entire cd, I would rank it right up there with Dr. John's most recent outing as one of the top funk cd's of 2002. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of hers, or if you like some gritty funk.

It's a shame that 3 stars has become practically a negative rating as grade inflation hits even Amazon.com. But if you look at Q-Magazine in the UK, three stars stands for "great for fans of the genre" and that is what BR provides here. There's some rather generic stuff at the outset of the album (I'm not so fond of the new single) but stick with it -- "Wherever you may be" marks a run of really wonderful music.

Silver Lining, Bonnie Raitt's newest in a line of slick, well-produced albums of contemporary adult pop, is both a shining success and a disheartening failure. The craft of Silver Lining cannot be contested, and as with almost all Raitt albums the production and arrangements of the songs here are top-notch. And given the woefully souless state of today's pop culture, the idea of a Bonnie Raitt record, with her whisky, soulful, and seemingly age-defying voice and impeccable slide-guitar work should sound like a welcome reprieve. But in practice, Silver Lining offers little in the way of true innovation, settling instead for a mediocre blend of polished and often bland material, focusing on Bonnie's far-too-mannered vocals and quirky intstrumentation. That said, there are several bright spots on Silver Lining, the David Gray penned title track and the Memphis-blues flavored "Time of our Lives" among them. However, both those tunes speak more to Raitt's gift as a shrewd selector of songs than a truly strong craftswoman of records. There is a definate African feel to the record, and Malian singer/guitarist Oliver Mutukudzi's affecting "Hear Me Lord" stands as a highly redeeming track. The disc still ranks several marks ahead of the crop of post-millenium pop albums, but one can't help but wish that Raitt had cut loose and made a record more like those of her uncommercial, mid-70s heydey of country-blues boogie and folk-rock gems. Silver Lining acts not so much as to elevate the flame-haired blues goddess' profile, but to remind us just how much more Bonnie Raitt is truly capable of. For some legends, formulas just don't always work.

I don't dig down and try to pick apart the music. It either works for you or it doesn't. I have played "Nick of Time" hundreds of times. If you enjoyed that, you'll welcome this new music. This CD is very much in the same venue, moving from wonderful, fast tempo blues to sexy, slow slide guitar romantic offerings. I especially like "Wherever You May Be". I put this CD in my car for my commute and it makes my journey a pleasant experience. Nuff said!