Nick of Time (1989)

Nick of Time is the tenth studio album by the American singer Bonnie Raitt, released on March 21, 1989. It was Raitt's first album released by Capitol Records. A commercial breakthrough after years of personal and professional struggles, Nick of Time topped the Billboard 200 chart, selling five million copies, and won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, which was presented to Raitt and producer Don Was. In 2003, the album was ranked number 229 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, then was re-ranked at number 230 on the 2012 list. As of September 2020, it is ranked at number 492. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Background

In 1983, Bonnie Raitt was dropped from Warner Bros. Records after the poor commercial performance of her albums The Glow (1979) and Green Light (1982). This decision came just one day after she had finished recording her next album, titled Tongue in Groove. Two years later, Raitt's affair with producer Rob Fraboni came to an end, and she was forced to dissolve her backing band as she could no longer afford to pay them. In addition to these personal problems, Warner Bros. exercised an option in Raitt's former contract to distribute Tongue in Groove in 1986, now re-titled Nine Lives. This meant that Raitt was now both legally obligated to promote a record she had no control over and split the profits with a label that had already abandoned her. Raitt began to suffer from depression, which soon spiraled into excessive eating, drinking, and partying. When asked about this period in her life, Raitt said: "I wasn't kicking and screaming into dementia, but I did have a complete emotional, physical, and spiritual breakdown."

While touring for Nine Lives, Raitt's luck unexpectedly changed. Pop star Prince (who had also been signed to Warner Bros.) was a fan of Raitt and attended her performance at the Beverly Theater in Los Angeles. After learning that she had no contract, he asked her to join his label Paisley Park Records. Raitt agreed and traveled to Minneapolis. Before she recorded any material however, she suffered a skiing accident and was hospitalized for two months. The injury gave her time to reflect on recent life choices. "It seemed that some changes needed to be made. I looked at myself and just felt I wasn't being the best version of me as I could. I wasn't going to blame anyone other than myself." Raitt attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, which she credits with giving her a new outlook on life.

Despite her newfound sobriety, Raitt was still in financial trouble. She left Paisley Park Records after Prince failed to come through with the new album she wanted. With no money for backing musicians, Raitt resorted to playing acoustic versions of her songs at concerts. It was during this period that she met musician Don Was of the band Was (Not Was). They collaborated on the song "Baby Mine" for the 1988 album Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, which featured contemporary interpretations of songs from Disney films. Raitt enjoyed working with Was, and chose him to produce her next album. Financing the new record proved more difficult, as many labels felt Raitt no longer had commercial viability. Co-manager Danny Goldberg said at least fourteen executives passed on Raitt before Tim Devine of Capitol Records took an interest. In 1988, Raitt signed a recording contract with Capitol for $150,000.

Composition

Nick of Time features a smooth and understated rock sound. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "[Raitt] never rocks too hard, but there is grit to her singing and playing, even when the surfaces are clean and inviting." There are many genres explored in Nick of Time, including blues rock, country, R&B, and pop. When Was was announced as the producer, some listeners wondered if he would instill a funk rock sound into the album, given his reputation with Was (Not Was). Instead, the album was built around the laid-back blues rock sound Raitt had developed earlier in her career. According to Raitt: "There's less production, less slickness. Basically, it's a return to my roots."