Doing the blues the Raitt way
What happens when a blues singer falls in love? In the case of Bonnie Raitt, she dedicates the closing song of her concert, a cover of Elvis Presley’s “A Big Hunk o’ Love,” to her new boyfriend.
The rest of her June 24 show at the Cape Cod Melody Tent included familiar Raitt songs in a range of styles: feisty pop (“Thing Called Love”), flirty soul (“Come to Me”) and forlorn blues (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”).
Among the highlights were songs that showed off Raitt’s gift as an interpreter. Not only can she pick out some great songs, she manages to make them her own, whether it’s John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” Bob Dylan’s “Million Miles” or Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down the Line.” The last two were among five songs she played from her new CD, “Slipstream.” Raitt’s version of “Million Miles” is sexy and bluesy. Her reggae-blues take on “Right Down the Line” is a clever reinvention of a ’70s classic-rock song.
Raitt is among the few women inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame for both instrumental and singing ability. Her slide guitar work on “Love Sneaking Up on You” and “Thing Called Love” showed why she made it onto Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 greatest guitarists.
Raitt kept things moving but still managed some between-song chatter, including several reminiscences about the days when her father, Broadway singer John Raitt, performed at the Melody Tent. Her set list stuck closely to recent shows on the East Coast.
In response to requests, she said, “I see a couple signs up there for really obscure songs. I wish I still knew them.” But the 16 songs she delivered in a 105-minute show included plenty of crowd pleasers, among them “Something to Talk About” and “Have a Heart.”
As happy as she may be, Raitt was at her best when singing about heartbreak and heartache. She delivered the first verse of “Angel From Montgomery” a cappella before the band kicked in. Her vocals on “I Can’t Make You Love Me” got more than a few eyes teared up. That’s why they call it the blues, right?
Mavis Staples, making her Melody Tent debut, opened the show. She got her start in her family’s gospel group, the Staple Singers, when she was 10; 62 years later she performs with inspiring energy and passion. Like Raitt, she crosses genres. Sunday’s show included a funky version of the traditional gospel song “Wade in the Water” and a soulful cover of the Band’s “The Weight,” which drew the first of the evening’s many standing ovations.
Raitt joined Staples for a rousing cover of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Staples closed her eight-song set with a blast from her family’s past, a rendition of the Staple Singers’ 1972 No. 1 hit, “I’ll Take You There.”