Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up

Bonnie Raitt may have switched producers for her second album Give It Up, hiring Michael Cuscuna, but she hasn't switched her style, sticking with the thoroughly engaging blend of folk, blues, R&B, and Californian soft rock. If anything, she's strengthened her formula here, making the divisions between the genres nearly indistinguishable. Take the title track, for instance. It opens with a bluesy acoustic guitar before kicking into a New Orleans brass band about halfway through -- and the great thing about it is that Raitt makes the switch sound natural, even inevitable, never forced. And that's just the tip of the iceberg here, since Give It Up is filled with great songs, delivered in familiar, yet always surprising, ways by Raitt and her skilled band. For those that want to pigeonhole her as a white blues singer, she delivers the lovely "Nothing Seems to Matter," a gentle mid-tempo number that's as mellow as Linda Ronstadt and far more seductive. That's the key to Give It Up: Yes, Raitt can be earthy and sexy, but she balances it with an inviting sensuality that makes the record glow. It's all delivered in a fantastic set of originals and covers performed so naturally it's hard to tell them apart and roots music so thoroughly fused that it all sounds original, even when it's possible to spot the individual elements or influences. Raitt would go on to greater chart successes, but she not only had trouble topping this record, generations of singers, from Sheryl Crow to Shelby Lynne, have used this as a touchstone. One of the great Southern California records. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Amos Garrett Guitar, Trombone Bonnie Raitt Vocals (Background), Bottleneck Guitar, Piano, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Vocals, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Steel) Chris Parker Drums Dave Holland Guitar (Bass), Bass Dennis Whitted Drums Ed Thrasher Art Direction Eric Kaz Vibraphone, Horn Arrangements, Vocals (Background), Piano Freebo Fretless Bass, Vocals, Bass, Guitar (12 String), Vocals (Background), Tuba, Guitar (Bass) Gene Stashuk Cello Jack Viertel Guitar (Steel), Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar Jackie Lomax Vocals (Background), Vocals John Hall Guitar (Steel), Guitar (Electric), Guitar, Vocals (Background) John Payne Sax (Soprano), Wind, Sax (Tenor), Clarinet Kal David Guitar (Electric), Guitar Kendall Pacios Engineer Lee Herschberg Remastering Lou Terriciano Piano Louis Terricciano Piano Mark Jordan Vibraphone, Piano (Electric), Piano, Vocals (Background) Mark T. Jordan Keyboards, Piano (Electric), Piano, Vibraphone Marty Grebb Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Saxophone Merl Saunders Piano Michael Cuscuna Liner Notes, Producer Mickey Dobó Photography Nick Jameson Remixing Paul Butterfield Harmonica, Harp Peter Eckland Cornet Peter Ecklund Wind T.J. Tindall Guitar (Electric), Guitar Terry Eaton Sax (Tenor), Saxophone Tim Moore Vocals (Background), Vocals Wells Kelly Bells, Conga, Conductor, Drums, Vocals (Background), Cowbell