Blues veteran can still go with the flow

It has been seven years since her last studio album, but Bonnie Raitt hardly needs to reintroduce herself. On Slipstream, her distinctive honey-and-whiskey voice sneaks up on you like an old friend — warm, knowing, unpretentious. At 62, she sounds as sexy and self-assured as ever, but her singing, as always, serves the message and the groove above all else.

The same could be said for Raitt’s supple slide-guitar work, which is in abundance from the opening track, a witty, funky reading of Randall Bramblett’s Used to

Rule the World. There are other winning covers, from a reggaelaced version of Gerry Rafferty’s Right Down the Line to a couple of

Bob Dylan tunes, Million Miles and Standing in the Doorway, respectively, served as burning blues and a haunted, atmospheric ballad.

Several songs combine a buoyant spirit with rueful edges. Mar

riage Made in Hollywood features a bittersweet Paul Brady melody and wry lyrics by Michael O’keefe, Raitt’s ex-husband. The bawdier, more muscular Split Decision turns a romantic tussle into a bruising barroom brawl.

Slipstream concludes with God Only Knows, a lovely, disenchanted ballad by Joe Henry, who produced four tracks on the album. “I’ll try to be your light in love/and I’ll pray that is enough for now,” Raitt sings. Clearly, time has stolen none of her radiance. — Elysa Gardner

>>Download: Not Cause I Wanted To, God Only Knows, Used to Rule the World