The year is 1991, and Bonnie Raitt is coming off her most successful album to this time, and her first album under the Capitol record label. What could she do for an encore?
The now clean Raitt decided to go to what she called a "song-writing boot camp" to get away from the unhappiness of her life to write some songs. This is where Luck Of The Draw started, and with the help of many song-writers, including her husband at the time, Michael O'Keefe, it was her second album release. Crediting her clean lifestyle to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, she returned the favour by dedicating Luck Of The Draw to him.
The album had 6 singles released, the most of any in her career, with all of them hitting either Billboard's Top 100, Top Rock or Top Adult Contemporary (AC) weekly charts. Her best single, by far, was Something To Talk About, hitting #5 on the Top 100. This song starts off the album, and it spins a tale about two lovers believing they aren't going to be noticed, but they realize that everybody is whispering about them. They make a plan to give everybody "something to talk about" and "a little mystery to figure out". The song then goes on to explain how they are indeed falling in love, and hiding it is increasingly difficult.
Her magnificent use of her slide guitar skills comes into focus in the song entitled No Business. Her blues-influenced rhythms really adds to the point of how sometimes, your love can be nobody's business, even if it means that you have to stop loving somebody because of it. Other songs, however, show off Raitt's voice and song-writing ability, such as another single, Come to Me. The song hit #10 on the Billboard AC chart, and just the voice of a mature Raitt singing about how even the loneliest of people can find love without getting yanked around, is very comforting. Add to it the rather up-beat, almost R&B tone to the song really makes you wonder why this song didn't climb any higher on the music charts.
Easily the best non-single of Luck Of The Draw is her duet with Delbert McClinton, who never really was successful as a singer, but is a very good harmonica player, called Good Man, Good Woman. They make the idea of "finding a good woman/finding a good man" sound fun, as per the funky undertone. It is typical early 90's music writing, but with the lyrics put forth by the famous Womack & Womack song-writing tandem, it turns the challenge into a easy to understand way to find your good man or good woman.
Bonnie Raitt finally found her well-deserved success with this album, and to date, it is her best-selling album, going seven times platinum in the United States, and having over eight million copies sold. She also received three Grammy nominations in 1991, and took home all three trophies: Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group for Good Man, Good Woman, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the album itself and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Something To Talk About.
Her voice fits her blues style which she had tried to strayed from, but never really worked out. Overall, The album put Raitt into the category of blues star, and Capitol are still reaping the rewards that Warner Brothers should have had. Her talented music and song-writing skills were always on display, and she was never allowed to spread her wings until the Capitol years, and that is such a shame.
The Heilman Rating: 8.5/10
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