Give It Up

Give It Up is the second album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1972. Produced by jazz producer Michael Cuscuna, it's often hailed as Raitt's best album.

"Give It Up [comes] closest to perfecting her approach," wrote critic Dave Marsh for early editions of The Rolling Stone Album Guide. "She [mingles] her blues resources with a variety of contemporary and folk-oriented songs, coming up with classics in 'Been Too Long at the Fair' and Eric Kaz's 'Love Has No Pride.' Her version of the latter remains definitive..." Robert Christgau echoed these sentiments in his Consumer Guide column and gave the album an 'A' rating. Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau also praised the album, writing that "the best thing about Bonnie Raitt is her singing, and the best thing about Give It Up is that she sings great from beginning to end; in doing so, she successfully handles a far greater range of styles and material than on her first album and has produced a more interesting and satisfying record in the process." It was ranked as number 496 in the book version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was remastered and rereleased on March 5, 2002.