Naomi Weisman is a Canadian, Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
The leading player on the soundtrack to my life is John Prine, a singer/songwriter, Americana folk music legend, and my virtual best friend. I have also listened to Bonnie Raitt for decades, so I love that John and Bonnie were best pals.
They started their careers simultaneously and moved in the same social circles. Bonnie deeply respected John's storytelling, and one of his early songs, Angel From Montgomery, catapulted her to fame.
Last November, my partner and I went on a road trip. We had a few items on our itinerary, like Nashville and seeing friends in Florida. Still, the initial reason for planning our trip was that Bonnie Raitt was playing in Birmingham, Alabama. I originally had tickets to see her with my sister in Toronto, but the pandemic intervened, which was crushing. So, we went south from Nashville to Birmingham to see Bonnie in person for the first time.
As you can imagine, it was a wonderful evening. In between songs, Bonnie told stories, and her personality was a joy to discover. She sang her older songs and some new ones.
Bonnie's song Just Like That won Song of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Some saw it as an upset because her song was up against heavy hitters like Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Lizzo, played on popular radio, where Americana folk singers aren't very often featured.
When I listen to Just Like That, I am transported. It is full of emotion and is a classic example of the storytelling that the Americana genre is famous for. She sings about a woman who is visited by a man who comes looking for her to thank her for her son's organ donation and to acknowledge her loss so that he can live.
During Bonnie's Grammy acceptance speech, she thanked her dear friend John Prine, who died from Covid 19 in April 2020, for influencing her songwriting. This was just the icing on the cake for me.
This is a massive thumbs-up from me. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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