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Apr 13, 2016 Bonnie Raitt By Kyle Mullin

Bonnie Raitt gets down to business on her new LP, Dig In Deep, churning out some seriously unfussy alt-country. All of the album’s strengths are encompassed in Raitt’s offbeat INXS cover “Need You Tonight.” While the glossy ‘80s pop hit may appear to be far out of her wheelhouse, Raitt and her backing band stay surprisingly true to its sexy tone and spirit, right down to its famed jostling guitar lick. The country queen’s delivery is sultrier and more matter-of-fact than that of the late Michael Hutchence, who was slicker and smoother, but she retains his confident flamboyance, both on “Tonight” and throughout much of the rest of the LP. Raitt original “Unintended Consequence of Love” is another fine example of her swaggering delivery (especially as she stretches its key lyrics in enticingly long notes). The same is true of “Gypsy In Me,” written especially for Raitt by esteemed scribes Gordon Kennedy and Wayne Fitzpatrick, and which finds her backing band’s flaring organ and rumbling rhythm section deftly keeping in step.

This is an LP brimming with rough-hewn fun that will leave fans grinning, tapping toes, and humming along, but it’ll also leave them marveling at the unabashed panache and undeniable chops of this veteran songstress. (www.bonnieraitt.com)

Author rating: 7/10