The blues royal's 21st album, and her first since 2016's Dig In Deep, will arrive April 22
(Image credit: Brian Rasic/WireImage via Getty)
Bonnie Raitt has announced Just Like That… – her 21st LP and her first in over six years, which will arrive April 22 via ADA.
Accompanying the news is the effort’s lead single, Made Up Mind, which sees the blues guitar Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee deliver an exemplary display of her tactful fretboard phrasing, sumptuous rhythm guitar work and silky slide guitar skills.
There's a bit of everything in Made Up Mind. The snappy, overdrive-tinged opening licks give way to some subtle strums and clean interlude motifs, which in turn are soon replaced by the chorus's oversized, open-string arpeggios, slinky slide chords and padded vocal harmonies.
You can check out the single’s lyric video below.
The album itself was recorded in the summer of last year with the help of Raitt’s longtime collaborators, bass guitar player James “Hutch” Hutchinson and drummer Ricky Fataar, as well as keyboardist Glenn Patscha and guitarist Kenny Greenberg.
Joining the credits list is another Raitt faithful, Ryan Freeland – a recording/mixing engineer who previously worked with the blues icon on her Grammy-winning 2012 release, Slipstream. Raitt herself, meanwhile, helmed production duties.
According to Raitt herself, Just Like That… was an exercise in stretching her musicality and creativity, and promises to see her address a range of stylistic nuances that she’s never explored in any of her previous 21 albums.
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“On this record, I wanted to stretch,” Raitt noted. “I always want to find songs that excite me, and what’s different this time is that I’ve tried some styles and topics I haven’t touched on before.”
The tracklisting for Just Like That… can be found below.
Made Up Mind
Something's Got a Hold of My Heart
Livin' for the Ones
Just Like That
When We Say Goodbye
Waitin' For You to Blow
Blame it On Me
Love So Strong
Here Comes Love
Down The Hall
“I’m really aware of how lucky I am,” continued Raitt, who will also be embarking on an eight-month US tour in April. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to get out there and say something fresh and new: for me and for the fans. But I need to have something to say or I won’t put out a record.”
The 10-time Grammy winner will hit the road – with the support of NRBQ, Lucinda Williams and Mavis Staples in varying capacities – on April 12, starting at the Kodak Center in Rochester, New York. The Just Like That… tour will conclude on November 19 in Clearwater, Florida.
Raitt will also be making an appearance at the Women in Music Awards at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on March 2, where she will perform and receive the Billboard Icon Award. You'll be able to catch the action on Billboard's Twitter account.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
