Who says women can't play guitar?

Silver Lining\nBonnie Raitt\nCapitol\nFrom early on in her career in the mid-'70s with her awesome blues revamping of Del Shannon's "Runaway" through her early to mid-'90s FM success, Bonnie Raitt has led the way for women in rock. It seems that every few years she appears out of nowhere like a redheaded, guitar-slingin' angel with the message that women can rock too. And I don't care how old she is, any chick who can play "Pride and Joy" with a slide and Duane Allman tone is damn sexy.\nSilver Lining has its share of cool electric country-blues tunes, but at times strays a little into the Bette Midler realm with softer songs like "Wounded Heart." Rather than being a drag, they accentuate her smoky voice, which is often overshadowed by her guitar playing. The softer "Wherever You May Be" has one of those moments that's just perfect and takes the whole album up a notch. She doesn't hit the notes as much as she caresses them in a way that makes you think no one else has a right to ever sing this song but her. \n"Hear Me Lord" has fretless bass, African percussion and shimmering electric guitar that make you wonder if it was a lost track from Paul Simon's Graceland. The title track, while not bad, is a little too quiet for my tastes, but most of the album remains true to Raitt's tradition of laid-back blues-rock and twang. "Gnawin' On It" appears to be some kind of metaphor and happens to be the best track on the album. It showcases both the queen bee herself and Roy Rogers on some wicked slide licks.\nBonnie's still got her chops and even got a few really talented friends to play along on this one too. While this isn't her grittiest or hard-rockin' best, it's a pretty good buy for those who are sick of the same 12-bar blues standards. The twang and searing slide are still there, but Silver Lining is a little more focused on the voice for better or worse.\n

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