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Raitt's wide repertoire and potent musicianship soon earned her a following among the good ole boys on both sides of the footlights. She spent more time on the road than Wile E. Coyote; she played (and still does) untold free dates in support of liberal causes. But her record company, Warner Bros., eventually dropped her, finding her mix of bar-band rock and oozy blues tough to market. "It's not rock," Raitt says. "It's rock 'n' roll and rhythm 'n' blues. That 'n' in the middle is important: it's a swing back and forth. I'm more interested in the side-to-side than the up-and-down."
Switching to Capitol Records and teaming with ace producer Don Was, Raitt finally found the up. Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw (1991) made her a best seller without selling her out. "Here I am, not having sought it, but somehow getting it," she says. "But the idea of playing the game of being 'hot' is offensive to me." The fact is, Raitt loves the road; hot or cold, she'll be happy as long as she's working. "When the lights go down, it is the same gig as 15 years ago. I have the coolest job of anyone I know." On the new album that joy comes through in its most splendid form in You, a moving declaration of love. In Raitt's poignant voice you can hear the ache of angels as they gaze down on a dark and tangled earth.
In 1992 she wed actor Michael O'Keefe, 38, now a regular on TV's Roseanne and Raitt's occasional songwriting partner. "It's been satisfying and very challenging," she says. "When you have two strong personalities, it's an adjustment to learn how to compromise. There's a constant thrust and parry in allowing the other person to have some space. It's a classic case of 'I can't believe I'm saying these things that I heard my parents say across the dinner table.' "
A knowledge of the blues tells Raitt that life is a heroic struggle. "Just because you have some of your dreams realized," she says, "doesn't mean you're necessarily going to be content." The hurt and the hope are evident in her new album's last cut, Shadow of Doubt, in which Raitt sounds like a Mississippi field hand, bent by age and travail: "Oh but Lord no/ Don't make it easy/ Keep me workin'/ 'Til I work it on out/ Just please, please/ Shine enough light on me/ 'Til I'm free from/ This shadow of doubt."
Prayer answered. Bonnie Raitt is out of the shadow, into the light.