Give It Up

GIVE IT UP is the high point in Bonnie Raitt's early career. On it she brings together her R&B, folk, and straight blues influences with a mellow soft rock approach that would become synonymous with the California FM sound, yet none of these elements dominate--Raitt mixes the sounds perfectly. The result is an accessible, sensual music that never relies on cliché for effect, a sound that laid the foundation for her future commercial success.

Raitt contributes a handful of fine originals here, including the snappy, bluesy "Give It Up or Let Me Go," and the beautiful "Nothing Seems to Matter." Yet her excellent renditions of cover tunes like Jackson Browne's "Under a Falling Sky" and Chris Smithers's "Love Me Like a Man" prove she is as powerful an interpreter as she is as a songwriter. (Raitt's next two albums--TAKIN' MY TIME and STREETLIGHTS--would be all covers). Most impressive is the precise, easy feel of her backing band (which includes saxophonist John Payne and harmonica player Paul Butterfield) and Raitt's blazing slide and smooth, nuanced vocals that never sound contrived or forced. The flawless ease of her performances is what, ultimately, makes GIVE IT UP authentic, endlessly listenable, and one of the era's classic blues-rock albums.