Bonnie Raitt’s first music video in 14 years is ‘Right Down the Line’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Bonnie Raitt’s new album, “Slipstream,” is out today, and in conjunction with her first collection of new material in seven years, the blues-rocking singer and guitarist has made her first music video in 14 years, for her reggae-tinged version of Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down the Line.”
The video intersperses performance segments of Raitt and the members of the band that will be accompanying her on the tour she starts May 1 with images of couples of various ages, ethnicities and genders embracing to illustrate Rafferty’s expression of gratitude for a long-term love. It can be seen here:
Rafferty, best known for his 1978 hit “Baker Street” as well as for his lead vocals on the 1973 Stealer’s Wheel hit “Stuck In the Middle With You,” died early last year at 63.
The song is one of several on which Raitt lets loose as a guitarist, applying her signature slide work over the course of 5 1/2 minutes on the album version. It’s one area of artistic freedom she’s enjoying by putting the album out on her own terms, on her Redwing Records label.
Another highlight of the album for her guitar-loving fans is a version of Bob Dylan’s “Million Miles” that was produced by Joe Henry at his South Pasadena home studio and features jazz-rock-country guitarist Bill Frisell and steel guitar veteran Greg Leisz trading licks with Raitt.
That track runs 6 1/2 minutes because, she told me when we sat down in Studio City recently for a Calendar interview, “From the minute I heard Jay hit that introduction, and Bill was doing that thing, and Greg, who I admire so much, the three of us on guitar was just like a dream come true, and we all knew it was a dream come true as we were doing it, and we all just wanted it to work out. We just kept going and naming more songs.”
RELATED:
Bonnie Raitt waited until she was ‘really ready’ for ‘Slipstream’
Neil Young and Crazy Horse reunite for ‘Americana’ due June 5
Live review: Jackson Browne with Dawes and Jonathan Wilson at the Satellite
--Randy Lewis
