Bonnie Raitt couldn't wait to finish her "Souls Alike" tour here this weekend.

"We're happy. ... By the time we get everybody and their families over (to Hawai'i), it means the end is in sight," said the ever-friendly, ever-charming singer/songwriter/slide guitar legend, her conversational voice as warm and rough-hewn honeyed as her bluesy singing one.

Raitt phoned mid-December from her Northern California hometown, while finishing Christmas-related errands. We'd last chatted in January 2004 before another tour-ending Honolulu show — about her multimillion-selling, multi-Grammy-winning success with 1989's "Nick of Time" after two decades slugging it out in the music biz, her longtime social and political activism and her gender-barrier-smacking blues skills.

So this time, we just talked story — about family, friends, fans and "prom night." Raitt was ready for the Waikiki Shell stage and some serious ocean time.

"It's a combination end-of-tour party, which I try to do in Hawai'i at the end of every long ... tour," she said. "(The show) is the party!"

Is there anything special about a Hawai'i gathering of your fans?

Oh, yeah! ... On the plane to Hawai'i, you're already feeling like you're on vacation. That makes the gig more of a party than it is an obligation.

The band and crew have been working their tails off for the last year and a half. (If you) include promoting our new record (2005's "Souls Alike") and the DVD (2006's "Bonnie Raitt and Friends") with the "Best of (Bonnie Raitt, 2003)" before that and (2002's) "Silver Lining" before that, it's basically a five-year run of nonstop gigs. So the pinnacle is a few days to celebrate with our families and go out on some sailboats.

And then we end up playing our own prom night at the Waikiki Shell again.

I like that thought — "playing our own prom night."

When you play outdoors in Hawai'i in the middle of winter when everybody else is suffering through the snow, you can't help knowing how lucky you are. The audiences are always fantastic and they're always very patient to wait. The last state we usually play is Hawai'i. So I appreciate everybody's loyalty.

Did you set any kind of a goal for yourself with "Souls Alike," such as an "edgier production" or "more guitars"?

No, I don't think about it like that. I always look at every single one of my records as just: When I have enough songs to get into the studio, then I get into the studio.

I mean, I know how to put a show together (and) I know how to put a record together in terms of not having too many of the same grooves or too many ballads because, obviously, you'd lose your audience if you played four heartbreak songs in a row.

I know what I like, and I know what makes for a good record, hopefully. ... At this point, after this many records, I kind of (have) an idea of what works and what's not going to work. So I didn't have any new, particular goal other than to freshen up and try some new things.

Songs like "Crooked Crown" and "Deep Water" are different than anything I've ever done before. I like to keep it interesting for my fans and for me and for the band.

You lost both of your parents while beginning work on "Souls Alike." ... I remember us discussing your father, John Raitt, the last time we spoke. When I asked how long you'd keep touring, you mentioned that your dad was then 86 and still singing.

Right. And he kept singing right up until the end, too.

You're always asked about your influences. Is your dad up there on that list?

I'd say both my mom and my dad because my mom (Marjorie Raitt) was his musical director. And her excellence on the piano and her ability to rearrange (songs) spontaneously in different keys and figure out how to tailor-make the arrangement to fit him, was so important to me in terms of watching what it was like to accompany somebody. ...

She didn't force me to take piano lessons, but just sort of led me to it by making it look so incredible — both fun and rewarding. I just sort of eventually said, "Hey, can I take piano lessons?"

That was really a gift — to not force it on your kids but just give them the kind of exposure where they would want to learn an instrument.

And then my dad, of course, (was an influence) just in terms of his enthusiasm and his integrity ... of making every show equally important. Whether he was playing in Iowa or whether he was playing on Broadway, the audience got the same John Raitt. That really impacted me a lot.

Over the years, both of them were really important as role models as an activist, for me. And also, just showing that if you take care of your body and you take care of your whole personal life that you're actually going to be a lot happier than if you just focused on nothing but your career.

Those are things ... that I miss and that I'm grateful for. Their friendship and their mentorship is as important to me as the fact that, you know, what a thrill it is to sing with John Raitt. That was a blast!

Your new live DVD/CD "Bonnie Raitt and Friends" features a number of very cool friends — Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Alison Krauss — and, as always, your longtime band. What do you admire about each?

(With) Ben Harper, I've always loved who he is as a person, as an activist; and I love the way he sings and plays. He's such a soulful guy the way he lives his life.

Alison Krauss, I've been a huge fan of since her first records. ... We'd wave to each other — as Ben and I did — at the Grammys saying, "We've gotta work together one day." And here was this opportunity. I've always wanted to sing ... "You" with her. I thought she did an incredible job. And I hope it's the beginning of many more collaborations.

Norah Jones? Well, what can you say? ... She's a great interpreter, a great soulful singer and she defies categorization, which is one of the things I relate to about her.

And my guys? Oh, gosh, (James) "Hutch" (Hutchinson) has been with me since '83 — steady and loyal, and there's no one better on the bass. Rick Fataar, when the fans found out he was Stig O'Hara from "The Rutles" they screamed and yelled for him. He's basically one of the most unique and deep drummers you'll ever hear. ...

John Cleary, of course, is a brilliant solo artist and legendary New Orleans funkster ... a great writer and great singer. A quadruple threat. ... He's treacherous, he's so great. I'm thrilled to have him moonlighting in my band. I showcase him every night and we do a lot of duets together.

And George Marinelli has always been one of my favorite guitarists since I met him with Bruce Hornsby. He's also a guy that makes great solo records.

Ruth Brown — a true legend of not just R&B, but music — who you mentioned as a dear friend when we last chatted, passed away in November. Besides the friendship, was there any way she inspired and continues to inspire what you do and how you do it?

I appreciate you asking about her because it's just such an incredible loss. No matter how much you're prepared for people of an older generation to move on, it was certainly unnecessary and way too soon.

But in terms of what she continues to bring me, she exhibited a feistiness and courage in the face of adversity that will never ever stop being inspirational to me. ... She's dealt with adversity with more dignity and perseverance and courage than anyone I've known personally.

Whether it was not getting royalties for years and years or having to work as a maid while hearing herself singing hit songs on the radio, that situation of the exploitation of the older generation of artists to whom we owe so much has informed my whole life in terms of my focus.

I'll be talking about royalty reform and justice and respect for that generation of blues artists and rhythm and blues artists for the rest of my life.

So her mission creatively, musically, and as a woman and as a fighter, will continue to live in me. And I'll be fighting for the both of us and singing for the both of us.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.