"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)
Mit ausschließlich fremdkomponierten Material nahm
Bonnie Raitt ihr 1974er Album "Streetlights" auf. Obwohl diese
Platte sehr kritisch beäugt wurde, kann man der Gitarristin und Sängerin
mit der rauchigen Altstimme auch hier ihr Talent nicht absprechen. Sanfte
jazzig angehauchte Balladentöne wie "Got You On My Mind"
kommen durch ihre Stimme herrlich erotisch gelöst rüber, wie
sie ebenso mit knackigen Funktönen bei "Got To Be Ready In Love"
zu überzeugen weiß, was von einer brillanten Backing- Band
ebenso sensibel umgesetzt wird. Auch Songs von Joni Mitchell und James
Taylor ("Rainy Day Man", ein Anspieltip) sind zu hören.
Frau Raitt beherrscht dabei ebenso die zärtlicheren wie die energischeren
Töne. So ist "Streetlights" in seiner Abwechslung ein gutes
Album, bei dem Bonnie Raitt einfach knapp vierzig Minuten lang gute Laune
macht. (Amazon)
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