#492 Bonnie Raitt, 'Nick of Time' (1989)

Previously #495

Bonnie Raitt had hit rock bottom. She was dropped by her label, Warner Bros. Records for poor sales, she had a major alcohol and drug problem, she had to dissolve her backing band as she could no longer afford to pay them and negotiations with Prince’s Paisley Park Records fell through after a skiing accident that landed her in the hospital for 2 months. Her life needed a change. After sobering up, she met producer, Don Was while performing a series of acoustic gigs (she had no band, remember?). The two sought a new record deal and after 14 labels passed, she finally signed to Capitol Records. The album landed up selling 5 million copies and won three Grammys, including Album Of The Year.

I loved this record last time around and I still love it. It’s a joy to listen to and Bonnie Raitt is an incredible guitarist. The album meanders between rock, country, R&B, pop and blues, cohesively bringing them all together. Special guests on the album include Herbie Hancock, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Paulinho Da Costa and Ricky Fataar (from The Beach Boys). Not bad for an artist at rock bottom.

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