Apparently in an attempt to find new sounds that would appeal to a new audience, Bonnie Raitt severed her ties with her comeback producer, Don Was, for Fundamental, hiring those masterminds of experimental adult pop, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake.
Although Froom and Blake have worked with a number of singer/songwriters and roots musicians -- including Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Richard Thompson, Los Lobos, and Crowded House -- they often emphasize the production over the song, pouring on layers of effects and novelty instruments that tend to obscure the songs and performances.
While they don't go overboard on Fundamental like they did on Los Lobos' Colossal Head, they have pushed too much of their own style on Raitt.
There are good songs scattered throughout the record, but it's hard to pick them out underneath the gauzy, murky production.
Eventually, the album becomes a bit of a chore, since the sounds wear on the ears.
That's too bad, because Raitt remains a vital artist -- it's just that Froom and Blake haven't allowed her to rely on her talents here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Fundamental ThingsDavid Batteau, John Cody, Larry Klein | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Cure for LoveDavid Hidalgo | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Round & RoundWillie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Spit of LoveBonnie Raitt | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 5 | Lover's WillJohn Hiatt | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Blue for No ReasonPaul Brady, Bonnie Raitt | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | Meet Me Half WayBeth Nielsen Chapman, Bonnie Raitt, Annie Roboff | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | I'm on Your SideBonnie Raitt | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Fearless LoveDillon O'Brian | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | I Need LoveJoey Spampinato | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 11 | One Belief AwayPaul Brady, Dillon O'Brian, Bonnie Raitt | Bonnie Raitt | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 44 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 260 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Adams | Keyboards, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | David Batteau | Composer |
| 3 | Tchad Blake | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 4 | Sir Harry Bowens | Guest Artist |
| 5 | Paul Brady | Composer |
| 6 | Rick Braun | Trumpet |
| 7 | Tony Braunagel | Tambourine |
| 8 | Beth Nielsen Chapman | Composer |
| 9 | John Cody | Composer |
| 10 | Tom Corwin | Engineer |
| 11 | Willie Dixon | Composer |
| 12 | Steve Donnelly | Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background) |
| 13 | Terrence Forsythe | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Robin Fredriksz | Make-Up |
| 15 | Mitchell Froom | Accordion, Keyboards, Moog Bass, Producer |
| 16 | Renée Geyer | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Marty Grebb | Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor) |
| 18 | John Hiatt | Composer |
| 19 | David Hidalgo | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | S. "Husky" Höskulds | Assistant Engineer |
| 21 | James "Hutch" Hutchinson | Bass |
| 22 | Larry Klein | Composer |
| 23 | Nick Lane | Euphonium, Trombone |
| 24 | J.B. Lenoir | Composer |
| 25 | Darrell Leonard | Trumpet |
| 26 | Kate Lindsay | Stylist |
| 27 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 28 | Norman Moore | Art Direction, Design |
| 29 | Dillon O'Brian | Composer, Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Bonnie Raitt | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Slide Guitar, Vocals |
| 31 | Jimmy Roberts | Saxophone |
| 32 | Annie Roboff | Composer |
| 33 | Mark Shark | Vocal Harmony |
| 34 | Joey Spampinato | Bass, Composer, Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Joe Sublett | Sax (Tenor) |
| 36 | Pete Thomas | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 37 | Scott Thurston | Keyboards |
| 38 | Dana Tynan | Photography |
| 39 | Jeff Young | Vocal Harmony |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |