Bonnie’s back and ‘ready to go’
Raitt’s new album comes after “wrenching” grief,
STUDIO CITY, Calif. — Steeped in roots music, stuck on Delta masters and stoked by retro soul, Bonnie Raitt continues to ply a sassy, earthy brand of pop-blues.
Yet she’s no musical Luddite. At 62, she’s running her own label, embracing the digital revolution and even indulging a Youtube fixation.
“At 3 a.m., I’m still up watching videos of jazz heroes I never saw live,” the singer/guitarist says.
Raitt’s first album in seven years, Slipstream, out today, is also the first on her Redwing label, established after her deal with Capitol expired in 2005. Rising piracy and shrinking CD sales forced major labels to retool business models and sent artists in search of fresher marketing routes.
Capitol/emi offered Raitt an attractive deal, and competing labels courted her, but she was eager to test new waters.
“EMI was in a lot of upheaval,” she says. “I went through seven presidents in my time there.
“It wasn’t an ego thing. It was more practical. Once we break even, it’s better math. With the
new ways of getting music out, you don’t need a label if you’re a legacy artist.”
Raitt finds herself in the curious position of both cult artist and mainstream star. Warner Bros. released her 1971 debut and dropped her in 1986 after a loyal fan base didn’t translate into airplay. She soared to platinum heights with 1989’s Nick of Time, but her sales tapered after 1994’s Longing in Their Hearts.
In an era dominated by synthetic dance beats, Raitt has confidence in the vitality and visibility of America’s musical roots.
“The world I live in is benefiting from things like satellite radio,” says Raitt, a longtime champion of seminal R&B greats who also cheers such fusion acts as St. Germain, Us3 and Tangle Eye. “Jazz and blues fests are everywhere now, and Americana is going strong on college radio. What I’m hearing is an appreciation of real music.”