Guilty – Bonnie Raitt

A unique interpretation of a Randy Newman song about two things well known to have been problems in Raitt’s life: drinking and drugs. The music is structured like a ’60s soul ballad Otis Redding might have sung. Raitt can’t sear a listener’s heart with Redding’s burning power. Instead, she floats through the song in a cloud of self-destructive melancholy that’s equally impressive, from the simple opening admission, ”Yes, baby, I’ve been drinkin’,” to her final cry that she can’t stand herself.

Bonnie Raitt: https://www.bonnieraitt.com