Bonnie Raitt - Takin' My Time

This album is an overlooked gem in the catalog of Bonnie Raitt. On Takin' My Time, she wears her influences proudly in an eclectic musical mix containing blues, jazz, folk, New Orleans R&B, and calypso. Although she did not write her own material for this album, she demonstrates an excellent ear for songs and chooses material from some of the best songwriters of the day. She is a great interpreter, and her renditions of Jackson Browne's "I Thought I Was a Child" and Randy Newman's "Guilty" from this album are the definitive versions of these songs. The highlights of this album are the romantic ballads "I Gave My Love a Candle" and "Cry Like a Rainstorm," where Raitt adds an emotional depth to the performance unusual for such a young woman. (Perhaps that's a result of her spending time with elder statesmen of the blues community such as Mississippi Fred McDowell and Sippie Wallace.) Although the faster-paced songs like the calypso "Wah She Go Do" seem a little out of place, the playful tune is welcome among an album filled with the heartache of the slower tunes. Despite being a relative newcomer, Raitt had already earned the respect of her mentors and her peers, as evidenced by the musical contributions of Taj Mahal, and Little Feat members Lowell George and Bill Payne on the album. This is the last consistent album she would make until her comeback in the mid-'80s. ~ Vik Iyengar, All Music Guide

Name Credits Anthony Terran Horn Arnie Acosta Mastering Bill Payne Keyboards, Piano, Organ, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Vocals (Background) Bob Hardaway Horn Bonnie Raitt Bottleneck Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals, Handclapping, Vocals (Background), Guitar Bud Brisbois Horn Carl Huston Handclapping Carol Farhat Handclapping Doug Sax Mastering Earl Palmer Drums Ed Cherney Remastering Supervisor Ernie Watts Sax (Soprano), Saxophone Freebo Tuba, Vocals (Background), Vocals, Bass, Fretless Bass George Bohannon Trombone, Horn Arrangements Glenn Ferris Horn Jim Keltner Drums Jo Motta Project Coordinator Joel Peskin Horn John Hall Guitar (Electric), Producer, Guitar, Mellotron, Handclapping, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background) John Haney Engineer Kirby Johnson Conductor, Horn Arrangements Lee Herschberg Remastering Lowell George Slide Guitar, Guitar Marty Krystall Horn Mickey Dobó Cover Photo, Photography Milt Holland Shaker, Tambourine, Tabla, Percussion, Timbales, Claves Nat Seligman Handclapping Oscar Brashear Horn, Flugelhorn Paul Barrére Guitar (Electric), Guitar Richard Heenan Mixing Sam Clayton Conductor, Conga Sandy Kroopf Back Cover, Design, Art Direction, Photography Taj Mahal Vocals, Bass (Acoustic), Harmonica, Bass, Guitar, Vocals (Background), Harp Tom Gamache Design, Art Direction Tony Terran Horn Van Dyke Parks Vocals, Piano, Inspiration, Vocals (Background), Keyboards