Pet Shop Boys: Fundamental

Bonnie Raitt's career was resurrected in 1989 with the beginning of a string of Don Was-produced albums—not to mention a dead-on cover of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love." But her recent releases have felt a bit too polished, as if Raitt were afraid of stepping out of Was' life-giving shadow. Her 15th album opens with the lyric, "Let's get back to the fundamental things," and although Fundamental isn't the rough hunk of grit those words make it out to be, the album does sound different; it's looser and riskier. Much of the credit goes to producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, who bring their usual bag of studio tricks to the record, albeit modestly underplayed here. However, despite such stylish flourishes as having Attractions drummer Pete Thomas add weird rhythms to the mix, Fundamental sounds remarkably spare and live, allowing Raitt's relatively unadorned vocals to take center stage. Which, as songs like "Spit Of Love" and the not-quite-reggae "I'm On Your Side" reveal, is a good thing; the 47-year-old singer has never sounded better. Elsewhere, Raitt picks out a few choice covers, including "Cure For Love," written for her by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Louis Perez, "Lover's Will," her third Hiatt cover, and J.B. Lenoir's "Round And Round." But no matter whose songs she sings, the music becomes intractably her own.