Album: Nick of Time
Artist: Bonnie Raitt
Release Date: March 21, 1989
Genre: Blues Rock
Length: 0:42:31
Label: Capitol Records
Producer: Don Was
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #230
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): #492
1,001 Album Book: Yes
A gritty, but delightful time, a Nick Of Time that is...
The tenth album but first under Capitol Records, Nick of Time quickly became some of Raitt's most notable work as the album reached #1 on the US Billboard 200, certified platinum five times, and won her three Grammy's in 1990, including Album Of The Year.
The title track "Nick Of Time" opens up with an insanely groovy percussion beat, hinting of a high energy song. Unpredictably however, an electric piano and guitar comes in with a relaxing feel before Raitt begins to release her naturally effortless vocal style into the track. The song contains many interesting sounds such as slight cymbal crashes that don't overpower the feel of the track, congas throughout and a consist driving bass. This song is the perfect opening track for the album and won Raitt a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Unleashing Raitt's country roots was sure to come sooner than later and that's exactly what happens in the second track "Thing Called Love". As soon as the slide guitar comes in after the initial bass and acoustic guitar intro, it's impossible to mistake the track for a country song, and that isn't a bad thing. While it has a different feel than the prior song, Raitt is able to shine with her singing in a completely different light. The bridge of the song is different than most other blues rock patterns in that it starts with snake-like rattles from a tambourine and goes into a laid back section focusing mainly on the blues rhythms of the bass guitar, timbale hits in the background and eventually a solo from the electric slide guitar before exploding into the final chorus.
The third track "Love Letter" contains lyrics describing feelings ranging from desire to passionate lovemaking. The song contains fun melodies from an almost island-like sound of the keyboard that perfectly complement the classic rock patterns that emerge from the other instruments. This song doesn't contain as many interesting auditory blessings as the first two tracks but one fun production marvel is the effect of her voice right before the solo section that brings forth the sound of a telephone connection.
Continuing with different sounds of the album, "Cry On My Shoulder" is the first track that doesn't do justice to the talents of Raitt. A much slower song than the initial three, the song features classic sounds of a love ballad from the 80s, such as the dramatized piano, and larger than life tom fills from the drums and wind chimes. The song is a good break from the more blues rock songs in the beginning but is definitely one of the weaker tracks on the record.
Thankfully this song isn't the only ballad on the album, but it is by far the worst. "Nobody's Girl" is a complete song with just guitars and Raitt, which allows the ballad to feel more intimate and personal, rather than the cheesy aspects of "Cry On My Shoulder". "Have A Heart" starts as just your typical slower song, but eventually builds with background vocals "Hey's" and "Oh's" into the chorus. Throughout the song there are various percussive aspects that bring out a different side of a slower track, such as the cheerful triangle hits, random clave hits, bongos and cabasa sizzles across the track.
Luckily for Raitt, Capitol Records and Don Was know how to arrange the album for the best listening experience. The fifth song "Real Man" makes you forget about the boring listen of "Cry On My Shoulder" with a nearly ragtime vibe and showcases none other than a harmonica solo. The song features empowering lyrics such as "I want a real man" that are echoed repeatedly with the instruments behind her.
Listening to the first few tracks is exciting and the amount of content packed into the track is impressive. Slowly however, the tracks start to slow down and listening becomes less interesting. "Too Soon To Tell" is a very boring track with no memorable qualities, and "I Will Not Be Denied" is an energetic song that showcases Raitt's intense ability to sing but doesn't give anything else. Fortunately the final two tracks "I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again" is another intimate track with just Raitt and the piano. The emotion poured out into the microphone is contagious and is beautifully paired with the superb piano playing and "The Road's My Middle Name" is an energetic rock song which closes the album nicely.
Overall this album is a decent listen, especially if you're a fan of country, blues or rock. The strength in Raitt's voice is unbelievable as she makes it sound so easy and the album is littered with exciting instruments throughout that make each listen-through feel like a new one. I would recommend this album even though there are spots where the record drags on, but overall it's a worthwhile time that I'm positive you won't regret...
Favorite Songs: "Nick Of Time", "Thing Called Love", "Love Letter", "Have A Heart"
Least Favorite Songs: "Cry On My Shoulder", "Too Soon To Tell"
Production Quality:
Mix = 9/10 (Amazing mix but some songs could be MORE exciting to the ears)
Innovation = 7/10 (Unique qualities in the beginning but quickly falls back to normalcy)
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 7/10
Lyricism = 7.5/10 (Great lyrics that aren't written by Raitt)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 9/10
Instrumental Timbre = 9.5/10
Group Chemistry = 9/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 6/10
Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!