Dig In Deep

"Dig In Deep" is, in my opinion, the best and most complete album Bonnie Raitt has released in a long time. While her most popular albums which made her a household name, as good as they were, I felt they were not the Bonnie Raitt I had fallen in love with in 1972 with the release of "Give It Up". "Dig In Deep" reveals a very mature artist who, at age 66, knows herself, knows what she wants and DOES what she wants. This album utterly exudes confidence in herself and her band. This is likely, as with "Give It Up", an instant classic, noting how oxymoronic that phrase may be. Let's just say this is a GREAT album from a GREAT artist. In an interview many years ago, Bonnie told the interviewer that the moment she heard John Lee Hooker "gruntin' and groanin'" she knew she had to play the blues and she had to record with him. She made both of those things come true. Why mention that? Listen to one of the brightest gems in this jewel case, "Need You Tonight", a brilliant reworking/cover of INXS' hit from their heyday. During that song, after drawling out a line, she utters a simple, "Hmmm", with all the female heart and soul and lust as any of John Lee's masculine grunts or groans. This track also features some of the best slide work on the album, and that is saying a lot. That brings up one of the aspects of this album that grabbed my attention: the prominence of Bonnie's slide guitar playing. It's more out front than it has been on an entire album in a long time, and she plays with the certainty of an artist who doesn't take her talent for granted, rather it is played by someone who knows how hard she worked to attain that status as one of the best slide players around. I contend that this album, with most songs written and produced by Bonnie herself and with a few songs written by others, could only have been done by Bonnie Raitt. Everything that is excellent about Bonnie Raitt is here on display, including her unique signature style of singing/playing any song she tackles. She makes them her own, whether she wrote them or not. Take her own song, "The Comin' Round is Going Through". This is Bonnie at her brutal best, featuring my favorite line on the album, "Your money's no good here, we wouldn't cash your check if we could." As brutally direct as she can be, there are few artists recording today who can deliver a ballad, or slow blues the way Bonnie does, as is demonstrated on the tracks, "You've Changed My Mind," (written by Joseph Lee Henry) and "I Knew," (written by Pat McLaughlin) respectively. For good rockin' fun, there is "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes," (written by Cesar Rosas and T Bone Burnett) which again features blistering slide by Bonnie and some great guitar work by George Marinelli. Bonnie's own songs are all stand outs: "Unintended Consequence of Love", "What You're Doing To Me," "If You Need Somebody," and "The Ones We Couldn't Be." This album deserves more than five stars, in my opinion. You can check it out on Prime if you are able, but I imagine most will want there own copy. Highest possible Recommendation.

I've always been a huge Bonnie Raitt fan since "Luck of the Draw," ...and that's what you get here! More of that slide guitar style bluesy rock/pop that's been her bread and butter! ONLY, now with excellent (and MODERN) studio production! No more "tinny" high sibilance cymbal crashes (if you could hear that at all on older CD's. Nothing but "sounds as though your in the studio" mellifluous, glorious, audio! Her playing hasn't lost a step and you'd have to listen purposefully to hear that her vocals may have lost a tad octave-wise but stylistically; same old Bonnie only better and more worldly and mature! If you enjoy her stuff, but don't yet own any of her musica, I would definitely start with this album and work your way backwards. Truly folks,...her BEST IN A LONG TIME!

I've been a fan of Bonnie Raitt since 1973, and saw her numerous times before she hit the big time in the 1980s (including what may have been the low point in her performing career -- at the "Rogues" club in Virginia Beach, where the power failed during their encore number! She and the band just continued to cook to the end of the song, playing electric instruments with no electricity!). Her first three albums will always be my favorites. But I've been especially impressed by her last two albums. On these two, she's taken her time and she's produced excellent stuff. In the 1970s, her own compositions were so strong, and I never understood why she stopped including them. This release includes five of her originals! And this band, including several long-time mates, are as good as it gets.

I'm a big fan of Bonnie Raitt and like this album a lot. The reason for only 4 stars, is the lack of surprises in the album and the songs themselves - which, of course, can be a good thing in Country Music - but i feel and hear that it is a little like 'playing it safe'. But once again it is star quality with a band that really knows Bonnie and can make small wonders with every song. You wont regret buying this album, and do follow the title when you listen to it. It's worth it...

have been a fan since the 70's. More mature and less organic than her wonderful early 1970's albums. Less slick than the albums that made her famous in late 80's and early 90's

When I first spun this set, I liked several of the tracks a lot, but thought it might be an average disc. "What You're Doin' to Me" has a great urgency with a driving beat. T-Bone Burnett penned "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes." It was the first track in personal top ten rotation with its flat-out rock riff and Bonnie's vocals strong and rich, "And Lord, it makes me tremble." "If You Need Somebody" has such a great backbeat with Ricky Faataar's drums and percussion rich and pounding. As I spin the disc more and let the music sink in, I'm warming to more and more tracks. The opener, "The Unintended Consequences of Love" has such a funky feeling with Bonnie's unadorned vocals cutting to the bone, "I'm calling on you, baby, now or never; Let's dig in deep & get out of this rut; Well get back to what brought us both together, baby & find a way to resurrect our strut." Michael Hutchence, known as the frontman for the 80s band INXS, penned "Need You Tonight." The track doesn't overpower but drives addictively, "Slide over here & give me a moment; Your moves are so raw, I've got to let you know you're one of my kind." Pat McLaughlin had a string of Americana albums in the 80s that had me waiting for each new release. On Bonnie's new set, she pulls his song "I Knew" which slows the pace and lets the soulful Raitt vocals shine, "There ain't no telling what you'll find in the corner of a darkened room." "Gypsy in Me" bounces joyfully, a great road song. Raitt is in strong form on this set. Enjoy!

Bonnie just keeps getting better , and I have every album she has made. I've been lucky to have seen her from the beginning of her career back in the early 70's, whenever she came to Philly, at the Main Point, Folk Festival, even saw her play with Mississippi Fred. Now I'm in my 60's just like her, and I'm so lucky to have had her music guide me through the decades. This new CD is must buy , I've told all my friends and co workers , it's got a little bit of everything. And her band is awesome, all are outstanding musicians. I'm looking forward to seeing her play live this summer.

How does she do it? Bonnie Raitt has to be one of the most understated performers in the business. But give her a guitar and let the recorder roll (digitally, of course) and there is total magic. She grabs a song and makes it her own. It doesn't seem to matter if she wrote the song herself or covered someone else's song (like she does with the INXS song "Need You Tonight" on this album.) The result is the same--a series of songs and a recording that captures and pulls you in. It doesn't hurt that Bonnie has her own label, Redwing Records. This frees her from the tyranny and restrictions employed of the big boy labels. Her engineer, Ryan Freeland, returns to the helm for "Dig In Deep." His gentle hand at the recording and mixing session makes for an appealing and delicate album that also has the ability to outright rock and roll. If you are a Bonnie Raitt fan, or even if you aren't--yet, at the very least sample the tracks from "Dig In Deep." If you give it a chance you are likely to feel as I do--Bonnie has another winner with "Dig In Deep"