Dig In Deep
Produced by Bonnie Raitt
“You’ve Changed My Mind” Produced by Joe Henry
Recorded & Mixed by Ryan Freeland
With 'Dig In Deep', her twentieth album, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt comes out swinging. The follow-up to 2012's triumphant 'Slipstream' — the Grammy-winning, Top Ten-charting first release on her own Redwing Records label — the new record illustrates the delicate balanc of consistency and risk-taking that has defined Raitt's remarkable career for more than forty-five years.
"The response to 'Slipstream' was such a refreshing and unexpected boost," she says. "So going into this album, I had renewed energy.”
For 'Dig In Deep', Raitt kept things focused and close to home. Feeling that her recent, two-year-long tour was one of her best ever, she was eager to get her touring band back in the studio. She again produced the album herself (other than one track taken from her 2010 sessions with Joe Henry), and brought Ryan Freeland back as the project's engineer. The resulting twelve songs draw on her characteristic, incomparable blend of blues, rock, R&B, and pop, from the funk of the opening "Unintended Consequence of Love" to the powerful, deeply personal ballad "The Ones We Couldn't Be."
Notably, Raitt has writing credits on five of the album's songs, the most original compositions she has contributed to a record since 1998's 'Fundamental'. "I was really inspired to come up with some songs that went with grooves that I missed playing in my live show, and to dig deeper into some topics I hadn't yet mined,' she said. "I don't write easily and can get distracted, but remembering how satisfying it was to come up with something new of my own, and writing with guys I love — like my longtime bandmates George Marinelli and Jon Cleary — I found that once the wheels started turning, the music came pouring out."
In addition to the originals, Raitt recorded material by some of her favorite working songwriters, and a couple of knock-out covers—a blazing version of Los Lobos' "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" and her sexy, slow-burn take on the INXS hit "Need You Tonight." 'Dig In Deep' features a healthy dose of the signature slide work from the woman Rolling Stone named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," but also sees Raitt at the piano for two emotional, distinctive numbers.
"I'm feeling pretty charged, and the band and I are at the top of our game," says Bonnie Raitt. "This period of my life is more exciting and vital than I was expecting, and for that I'm really grateful. At this point, I have a lot less to prove and hey, if you're not going to 'Dig In Deep' now, what's the point?”
"I can't wait to get back out on the road and play these songs," she continues. "The band has never sounded better and all of us together, with Ryan at the board, is the reason this record kicks as hard as it does. I think all these years together pay off, and the best part is that we know how lucky we are to still get to make our livings doing something we love this much."
Released: February 2016
Dig In Deep
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[Verse 1]
Looks like we've been butting heads again, baby
Lately seems like all we ever do
Can't remember when things got so crazy
All I know is I don't know what to doI guess we oughta stop and think it over
Decide if what we want there's enough of
It's tearing us apart, it cuts right through the heart
It's an unintended consequence of love[Verse 2]
Remember how we fell into each other, baby
Was all we could do to get up out of bed
You used to say nobody loved you better
I used to hang on every word you saidWhat happened to those brave and tender lovers?
How could we break the mighty promise of?
I guess time wore us down, expectations run aground
It's an unintended consequence of love[Bridge]
Now baby, I'm the one that's taking chances
I know we've got a love worth fighting for
Let's drop them petty games and pick up dancing
Get back to where we're wanting nothing more, woo[Verse 3]
I'm calling on you, baby, now or never
Let's dig in deep and get out of this rut
We'll get back to what brought us both together, baby
Find a way to resurrect our strut'Cause baby, you're my brave and tender lover
I know we'll find the mighty promise of
So come on, baby, back
We'll get this love on track
You're my one intended consequence of love[Outro]
Oh, consequence of love
Of love
Oh baby, yeah -
All you got is this moment
The twenty-first century's yesterday
You can care all you want to, baby
Everybody does, yeah, that's okay
So slide over here and give me a moment
Your moves are so raw, I've got to let you know
I've got to let you know, you're one of my kind
I need you tonight
'Cause I'm not sleeping
There's something about you, boy
That makes me sweat
How do you feel? I'm lonely
What do you think? Can't think at all
Whatcha gonna do? Gonna live my life
I need you tonight
'Cause I'm not sleeping, boy
There's something about you, baby
That makes me sweat
How do you feel? I'm lonely
What do you think? Can't think at all
Whatcha gonna do? Gonna live my life
I'm lonely -
Time, time ain't never healed the wound
Can't think of anything that gets
Any better 'cause it's old
Change, change would prob'ly do me good
Wouldn't prob'ly hurt a thing
Anyway, that's what I'm told
I would have run, but I couldn't run
Would have flown, but I couldn't fly
I woulda headed right back into town
I woulda lied, but I couldn't lie
'Cause I knew
Stop, stop and take a better look
There ain't no telling what you'll find
In the corner of a darkened room
Things, things that either one time fell
Or blew down from a windowsill
Or never got up by the broom
I would have run, but I couldn't run
Would have flown, but I couldn't fly
I woulda headed right back into town
I woulda lied, but I couldn't lie
'Cause I knew
No two ways about it, it's a doggone shame
Baby, it's a doggone shame
I would have run, but I couldn't run
Would have flown, but I couldn't fly
I woulda headed right back into town
I woulda lied, but I couldn't lie
'Cause I knew -
Like a heartbeat, timing is everything
I took a look at love when love looked away
How cruel is it that fate has to find me
All alone with something to say
I've been thinking, tweaking, and rethinking
All the things that I would tell you someday
I can hear it while I'm sitting here
All alone with something to say
I wanna tell you I love you
I wanna tell you I'm sorry
I'm sorry
I should be writing a column to the people
On how not to let your love life slip away
It would be clever, witty, and titled
All alone with something to say
I wanna tell you I love you
I wanna tell you I'm sorry
I'm sorry
All the nuggets of gold on my tongue
Pearls of wisdom coming in waves
How cruel is it that fate has to find me
All alone with something to say
All alone with something to say -
Hey yeah yeah
Above the fray, my heart got tucked away
And I finally found some peace
I lost the taste for it, the pain and the waste of it
Love just wasn't meant for meJust when I thought the coast was finally clear
You come busting in the door
And pull me outta here
Now there's no denying, baby, what you're doing to me
Honey, I ain't lying, 'cause baby feels so good to meI did my best to put you to the test
And I brought out my darkest stuff
I pulled in tight, pushed back with all my might
And still you couldn't get enoughMy last defense is slipping out of reach
You got me where you want me
Now I'm fallin' into the breach
Now there's no denying, baby, what you're doing to me
Ain't no use in trying, 'cause baby, you're so good to meAfter all that Sturm and Drang
I gave up long ago
One too many times around
And nothing left to show
You got that something, baby
That shakes me to the core
You pulled me straight out by the roots
And got me howling more, wooJust goes to show
No way you'll ever know
What love's got up her sleeve
You think the game's up
Heading home and guess what?
She shows up with a sweet reprieve
No use in wondering if it's real or if it's not
With nothing left to lose you might as well give it a shotNow there's no denying, baby, what you're doing to me
Ain't no use in trying, 'cause baby, we were meant to beMeant to be, woo
Meant to be, yeah -
The wind blows through the valley
It's warm and hard and wild
It gets up all inside the trees and shakes the leaves all night
They shake up through the mountains
They shake up to the sky
They shake up to the moon above and then it starts to shine
And Lord it makes me tremble
Shakin' and shakin', shakes
Shakin' and shakin', baby
They're shakin' and shakin' shakes
A fault runs through the valley as long as it is mean
It starts to tear into the earth and gets all in between
It shakes up through the mountains
It shakes down to the sea
It shakes up to the volcano and then it starts to scream
And Lord it makes me tremble
Shakin' and shakin', shakes
Shakin' and shakin', baby
They're shakin' and shakin' shakes
There's a woman in this valley
She's sweet as she is rough
And when she starts to dance that way
She shakes the boys all up
She shakes it through the mountain
She shakes it through the night
She shakes it like a hurricane
She gives a blind man sight
And Lord it makes me tremble
Shakin' and shakin', shakes
Shakin' and shakin', baby
They're shakin' and shakin' shakes -
There's a sword at the tip of my tongue
That shows no mercy on the latest one
And I was wrong with all my might
I took you out in one last round tonightAnd there's no more shouting and no more tears
Just the fatal words ringing in our ears
And in the silence it's crystal clear
There's no undoing what is happened hereWe've come undone
We've come undone
Battle waged, nothing won
Oh what have I done
The blood has run
Some things can't be undoneWe hurt the ones we love the most
A thousand memories go up in smoke
And in the morning when ashes fall
There'll be no need for any words at allWe've come undone
We've come undone
Battle waged, nothing won
What have I done
The blood has run
Some things can't be undoneThere's no joy in victory
When it comes at your defeatOh we've come undone
Lord, what have I done
Some things can't be undone -
Hate to see you bummin', but boy, I saw it comin'
That girl just wasn't meant for you
I see you goin' through 'em, and nothin' I can do
And I could kick myself for not tellin' you
The way I feel about you, held back so long
If you need somebody
To be the one to see you through
If you want somebody
Who knows you just the way I do
If you're tired of searchin', baby
And your heart's about to run aground
Only got to turn around
'Cause I've been waiting
Never could have guessed it, best friends
Since we were kids, but now I
Lose it every time that you're near
With every new dead end, it's gettin' harder to pretend
When I know all you need is standin' right here
The way I feel about you, held back so long
If you need somebody
To be the one to see you through
If you want somebody
Who understands you like I do
If you're tired of searchin', baby
And your heart's about to run aground
Only got to turn around
And when you're all alone and your heart keeps saying
You just can't take it
Just take a look around and you just might find
I'm a chance worth takin'
The way I feel about you, a love so strong
If you need somebody
To be the one to see you through
If you want somebody
To understand you like I do
If you're tired of searchin', baby
And your heart's about to run aground
Only got to turn around
'Cause I've been waiting -
Well, that highway moon is calling
Like some lover from some other land
Before the dust can settle,
I'll kick it up and tear it down again
I've got the wanderlust
It's somewhere else or bust
Yeah, I'm just a
Hello, goodbye, honey
It's been good and I must be going
Restless, I guess
When I'm in one place for too long
I don't know why
But I'm like the wind and I just keep blowing free
Must be the gypsy in me, yeah
Gypsy in me
So I led on the table
Baby, what you get is what you see, ooh
Well, you can look there in the palm of my hand
You won't find a line of longevity
No, it ain't in the cards
I ain't no queen of hearts
Before it starts, uh
Hello, goodbye, honey
It's been good and I must be going
Restless, I guess
When I'm in one place for too long
I don't know why
But I'm like the wind and I just keep blowing free
Must be the gypsy in me, yeah
Gypsy in me, ooh
(Gypsy in me)
I've got the wanderlust
It's somewhere else or bust
Yeah, I'm just a
Hello, goodbye, honey
It's been good and I must be going
Restless, I guess
When I'm in one place for too long
I don't know why
But I'm like the wind and I just keep blowing free
Must be the gypsy in me, yeah
Gypsy in me, yeah
Gypsy in me
Gypsy in me, yeah
Oh
Gypsy in me, yeah
Oh
Gypsy in me, yeah
Oh
Gypsy in me
Oh
Gypsy in me
Oh, oh
Hey, yeah, yeah -
You got a way of running your mouth
You rant and rave, you left it all out
The thing about it is, little that you say is true
Why bother checkin', the facts'll be damned
It's how you spin it, it's part of the plan
I'm here to tell you that your sicken loan is coming due
Only so long you can keep this charade
Before they wake up and see they've been played
Too many people with their livin' at stake
Ain't gonna take it
The comin' round is going through
The comin' round is going through
You say it's workin', it's tricklin' down
Yeah, there's a trick, 'cause the jobs ain't around
From where you're sittin' tell me how you think you possibly know?
The way it feels to get turned away
Never enough, it's day after day
Yank that by your bootstraps
'Cause that's the way it really goes
Only so long you can keep this charade
Before they wake up and see they've been played
Too many people with their livin' at stake
Ain't gonna take it
The comin' round is going through
The comin' round is going through
'Cause when the money's makin' money, it comes down to a few
Got their hands on the throttle and nobody gets through
You can work all your life for a hand that will play
With one role of the dice, it gets swept away
Just look around, things are startin' to slip
You're outta control, and you're losin' your grip
No way to stop it, that river's spillin' over for good
We don't have the answer, we know what it's not
'Cause the people will keep pushin' 'til they get a shot
Your money's no good there, we wouldn't cash you a check if we could -
I'd hidden away
The pains of the day
And the strain of my eyes to see
The grain of my skin
At the start of the end
Of all I once thought I could be
The page has been bent
Like an ear, and I've spent
Too much just to straighten a line
But you've waited as still
As the stone of my will
And I know you've changed my mind
The beast in this room
Paces and moons
He's restless and needs to be fed
He moves in for keeps
At the first sign of sleep
He groans and nuzzles my head
I gave nearly all
To building the wall
That could hide me forever behind
But now even my doubt
Seems to know a way out
And I know you've changed my mind
How little I knew
Three that I grew
Was not just to root me down
But might stand to wave
When the passing of days
Begged for a view off the ground
My faith had grown cold
And all I'd been told
Convinced me that just comes with time
But a page has been turned
Some old fears unlearned
And I know you've changed my mind -
It's hard to say now who left first
It used to seem so clear
You and I were tangled from the start
Somehow the scales just fell away
And I'm left standing here
Blown open in the hole that was my part
I wrap the dark around me,
There's no solace here tonight
There's just wishing and regret for company
My glass is raised for all the ways
We tried to get it right
And I'm sorry for the ones we couldn't be
I'm so sorry for the ones we couldn't be
Looking through these photographs,
Searching for a clue
How you and I got tangled from the start
Not even blood could forge a bond
Enough to get us through
Or stem the tides that pulled us far apart
I'm sorry for the ways I couldn't give you what you needed
For all the ways I strung us both along
They say it goes both ways and I suppose I could concede it
Seems to matter more, now that you're gone
And though it seems much kinder
Just to leave some things unsaid
Like all the ways I tore myself apart
If you really want forgiveness, better
Try the truth instead
It may not be enough, but it's a start
I wrap the dark around me,
There's no solace here tonight
There's just wishing and regret for company
My glass is raised for all the ways
We tried to get it right
And I'm sorry for the ones we couldn't be
I'm so sorry for the ones
Sorry for the ones
I'm so sorry for the one I couldn't be