Roots rebirth as Bonnie goes with the flow

BONNIE RAITT has a lump in her throat.

“The past few years have been tough,” she says.

“My parents passed away within 12 months of each other. Then, my older brother, to whom I was very close, developed a brain tumour. He was blind and paralysed. I came off the road to tend to him. After he died, there was a period during which I couldn’t care less about making a record.”