Home Plate (Remastered)

Following her excursion into smoldering R&B on 1974’s Streetlights, Bonnie Raitt returned to Los Angeles and created Home Plate, an album unashamedly rooted in that city’s network of songwriters, studio players and producers. With their smooth sheen and orchestral flourishes, “Run Like a Thief,” “Fool Yourself” and “I’m Blowing Away” veer into adult contemporary territory, but between Paul Rothchild’s discreet production and Raitt’s sincerity the songs succeed. As with all of Raitt’s early albums, there are a bunch of famous friends in the mix — if you listen closely, you can hear Emmylou Harris, Terry Reid, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and even Tom Waits in the backing chorus. Despite the polish, Raitt’s blues roots poke through on “Sugar Mama” and “Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes,” the latter of which splits the difference between Appalachian grit and Hollywood glamour. Also of note is “What Do You Want the Boy to Do?,” a plaintive cover of Allen Toussaint’s exquisite song — Raitt’s second reading of Toussaint in two years, following her knockout cover of “What Is Success.”