Number 53

I just picked up a CD yesterday, but haven't had the chance to listen to it more than once so I'll add to my favorite CD list instead. At Number 53 is...

Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time (1989)

Like many people, I had not heard of Bonnie Raitt until the 1990 Grammy Awards when she came out of nowhere to win multiple awards. Raitt's years of struggling under the radar suddenly paid off as she became an overnight sensation. And due to her long wait she was presented to the public fully formed, a whiskey voiced red head with a love for blues and a mean slide guitar. Raitt is still a presence on the music scene and it is all due to this disc.

Nick of Time shines due to Raitt's world worn performance and Don Was' warm, meaty production. The title song was a deserved adult contemporary hit written by Raitt about aging. Nick of Time plays the field stylistically, alternating between slinky blues / reggae ("Love Letter", "Have a Heart"), acoustic balladry ("Nobody's Girl", "I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again") and luminously soft pop ("Cry On My Shoulder, "Too Soon To Tell"). All of this sets up the bar band blues displayed on "I Will Not Be Denied" and "Real Man". But the highlight is her version of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love", a sh*tkicking romp that pushes Raitt's voice and guitar to its limit.

Producer Don Was became an indemand producer after Nick of Time and rightfully so. Was stamps the album with thick grooves, big drums, glowing keyboards and crisp guitars. Also, like American Idol Don Was emphasizes song choice with a selection of strong songs that highlight Raitt's voice. The Raitt / Was partnership would continue for two more excellent CD's, Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in their Hearts (1993) making a trilogy of very listenable blues pop rock.