Bonnie Raitt's Slipstream

Blues-rock icon Bonnie Raitt's first studio album in seven years was worth the wait. In the album-cover photo of Raitt ascending stairs, she looks much younger than her senior-citizen status, and her voice and guitar playing haven't lost a lick.

Raitt sings and plays all kinds of blues: funky blues on opening cut "I Used to Rule the World," an oldies lament; smooth-rock blues on "Right Down the Line," which is reminiscent of her classic "Something to Talk About"; traditional blues on the Dylan penned "Million Miles" — "You took the silver and gold and left me standing in the cold." There’s some silky, jazzy blues on my favorite, "You Can't Fail Me Now"; sexy blues on "Take My Love with You"; Raitt makes her slide guitar cry as she strums heartbreak blues on "Not Cause I Wanted to"; she even dives into marriage blues on "Marriage Made in Hollywood," a song about her movie star ex-husband.

The production values and the sound quality throughout the collection are rich and clean, impeccable, and there is no filler here. If you don't own one of her 19 previous albums, this is an accessible inroad to Raitt. And if you’re a fan like me, welcome home, this is pure comfort music.

• Album: Slipstream
• Artist: Bonnie Raitt
• Label: Redwing Records
• Songs: (1) I Used to Rule the World (2) Right Down the Line (3) Million Miles (4) You Can't Fail Me Now (5) Down to You (6) Take My Love with You (7) Not ’Cause I Wanted to (8) Ain't Gonna Let You Go (9) Marriage Made in Hollywood (10) Split Decision (11) Standing in the Doorway (12) God Only Knows