''Streetlights'' is the fourth album by

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

, released in 1974.

Recording and music

Bonnie Raitt was allotted $10,000 by Warner Bros. Records to record ''Streetlights'', which was the least amount of money she had received to record an album. Warner Bros. was unhappy with the lengthy production surrounding her previous album, '' Takin' My Time'', and the company limited her expenses. The two parties eventually agreed on an advance of more money, on the condition Raitt would choose a producer with a history of commercial success. Raitt chose

Jerry Ragovoy Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy (September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011) was an American songwriter and record producer. His best-known composition " Time Is on My Side" (written under the pseudonym of Norman Meade) was made famous by the Rolling Stones, alt ...

, who had worked with musicians such as

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

and

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

. Ragovoy felt Raitt's music was bogged down by

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

music, and wanted to produce an album with a more slick and polished pop sound. Raitt did not like Ragovoy's decision, but acquiesced, and ''Streetlights'' was recorded during the summer of 1974. Critics have described ''Streetlights'' as Raitt's first attempt to record music for a mainstream audience. In contrast to the eclectic and laid-back sound of her first three albums, ''Streetlights'' features simpler arrangements with more

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

instrumentation, influenced by pop and R&B music. It is Raitt's only album in which she does not play the

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

. Session musician Freebo said Raitt was negatively affected by the more professional production of ''Streetlights''. "The environment changed her singing. She was in a professional world with ''Streetlights'', and had to act like one" said Freebo. Nine of the ten tracks on the album are covers of songs by musicians such as

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

, James Taylor, and John Prine. The one original track, "Ain't Nobody Home", was written by Ragovoy.

Release and reception

''Streetlights'' was released in September 1974, by Warner Bros. ''Streetlights'' reached number eighty on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tapes chart and number 129 on the '' Cashbox'' Top 100 Albums chart. To support the album, Raitt went on a North American tour with

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

, from September 13 to November 24. On two stops in Boston and Washington, D.C., Raitt was accompanied by blues musicians Roosevelt Sykes and

Sippie Wallace Sippie Wallace (born Beulah Belle Thomas, November 1, 1898 – November 1, 1986) was an American blues singer, pianist and songwriter. Her early career in tent shows gained her the billing "The Texas Nightingale". Between 1923 and 1927, she recor ...

Track listing

Side one #"That Song About the Midway" (

) – 4:44 #"Rainy Day Man" ( James Taylor, Zach Wiesner) – 3:41 #" Angel from Montgomery" ( John Prine) – 3:59 #"I Got Plenty" ( Joey Levine, Jim Carroll) – 3:09 #"Streetlights" (

Bill Payne William H. Payne (born March 12, 1949) is an American pianist who, with Lowell George, co-founded the American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other rock pianists, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano roc ...

) – 5:05 Side two #"What Is Success" (

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

) – 3:32 #"Ain't Nobody Home" (

) – 3:04 #"Everything That Touches You" ( Michael Kamen) – 3:28 #"Got You on My Mind" ( David Lasley, Allee Willis) – 3:50 #"You Got to Be Ready for Love (If You Wanna Be Mine)" ( Lou Courtney) – 3:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from Bonnie Raitt's official website. * Bonnie Raitt – lead vocals, guitar (1, 2, 3), backing vocals (7) * Don Grolnick – keyboards (1, 2) * Leon Pendarvis – keyboards (3-6, 9, 10), arrangements (10) * Paul Griffin – keyboards (7), acoustic piano (8) * Jon Mayer – keyboards (9, 10) * David Spinozza – guitar (1, 2, 4, 6) * Charlie Brown – guitar (3) * Jeff Mironov – guitar (3, 7, 8) * Jerry Friedman – guitar (4, 5, 6) * John Tropea – guitar (5, 7, 8) * John Hall – guitar (9, 10) * Bob Mann – guitar (9, 10) * Freebo – bass (1, 2) *

Bob Babbitt __NOTOC__ Robert Andrew Kreinar (November 26, 1937 – July 16, 2012), known as Bob Babbitt, was a Hungarian-American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966 to 1972, as well a ...

– bass (3-8) * Richard Davis – bass (9, 10) * Steve Gadd – drums * Arthur Jenkins – percussion (1-4, 6, 10) * Ralph MacDonald – percussion (6, 9) * Jerry Ragovoy – arrangements (1-9) * Larry Wilcox – horn and string arrangements (1, 2, 5, 8) * Dave Matthews – horn arrangements (4, 6, 7), string arrangements (6) * Lou Courtney – backing vocals (3, 7) * David Lasley – backing vocals (3, 9, 10) * Carl Hall – backing vocals (4, 6) *

Sharon Redd Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992) was an American singer from New York City. She was the half sister of Snap! singer Penny Ford. Life and career Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Gene and Katherine Re ...

– backing vocals (4, 6, 9, 10) * Tasha Thomas – backing vocals (4, 6) * Natalie Venable – backing vocals (9, 10)

Production

* Jerry Ragovoy – producer * Blaise Castellano – engineer * Harry Maslin – engineer, remixing * Bruce Tergesen – engineer * Lee Herschberg – remastering * Gregg Geller – series producer * Jo Motta – project coordinator * Ron Stone – management

Charts

References

Book sources

* {{Authority control 1974 albums Albums produced by Jerry Ragovoy Bonnie Raitt albums Warner Records albums