Bonnie Raitt - Streetlights

Bonnie Raitt had delivered three stellar albums, but chart success wasn't forthcoming, even if good reviews and a cult following were. So, she teamed with producer Jerry Ragovoy for Streetlights and attempted to make the crossover record that Warner so desperately wished she'd release. Over the years, the concessions that she made here -- particularly the middle-of-the road arrangements (as opposed to the appealingly laid-back sounds of her previous records), the occasional use of strings, but also some of the song selections -- have consigned Streetlights to noble failure status. There's no denying that's essentially what Streetlights is, but that makes it out to seem worse than it really is. It winds up paling to the wonderful ease and warm sensuality of her first three albums -- she only occasionally hits that balance -- but it's still undeniably pleasant, and there are moments here where she really pulls off some terrific work, including the opening cover of Joni Mitchell's "That Song About the Midway," a good version of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery," and the much-touted take on Allen Toussaint's "What Is Success." It may be easy to lament the suppression of the laid-back sexiness and organic feel of Raitt's earlier records, but there's still enough here in that spirit to make this worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Arthur Jenkins Percussion Blaise Castellano Engineer Bob Babbitt Bass, Bass (Electric) Bonnie Raitt Guitar, Vocals Bruce Tergesen Engineer Carl Hall Vocals (Background), Vocals Charlie Brown Guitar David Lasley Vocals, Vocals (Background) David Matthews Horn, Strings David Spinozza Guitar Don Groinick Keyboards Don Grolnick Keyboards Freebo Bass (Electric), Bass, Vocals Gregg Geller Series Producer Harry Maslin Engineer, Remixing Jeff Mironov Guitar Jerry Friedman Guitar Jerry Ragovoy Producer, Arranger Jo Motta Project Coordinator John Hall Guitar John Tropea Guitar Jon Mayer Keyboards Larry Wilcox String Arrangements, Strings, Horn, Horn Arrangements Lee Herschberg Remastering Leon Pendarvis Keyboards Lou Courtney Vocals (Background), Vocals Natalie Venable Vocals, Vocals (Background) Natalie Veneable Vocals (Background) Paul Griffin Keyboards Ralph MacDonald Percussion Richard Davis Bass, Bass (Electric) Robert Mann Guitar Sharon Redd Vocals (Background), Vocals Steve Gadd Drums Tasha Thomas Vocals (Background), Vocals