The latest in a series of highly polished albums of good-natured boogie, blues and singer/songwriter fare, Bonnie Raitt's Silver Lining will not disappoint the initiated. Recorded with her highly seasoned road band and co-produced (again) by the ubiquitous Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, this is a high-quality product. The question, as always, is whether the material raises it to the level of extraordinary. Raitt picks songs shrewdly; here, the unearthed gems are David Gray's title song and the closing ballad, "Wounded Heart", by Jude Johnson. Less successful and more familiar are the songs co-written with her bandmates. Instrumentally, the highlights include Bonnie's slide duel with Roy Rogers on "Gnawin' It" and Andy Abad's highlife guitar chops on Oliver Mtukudzi's "Hear Me Lord". Jon Cleary's barrelhouse keys throughout owe a debt to Billy Payne of Little Feat. One may occasionally wish the producers had been allowed more rein to pepper the arrangements with their trademark quirky instrumentation, but the record rewards repeated listens. --Rob Stewart