Bonnie Raitt

The "Above the Rim" soundtrack wound up skying above the rest of the competition, slam-dunking at No. 1 on The Times' Southern California pop album chart. The appeal of 2Pac, who's in the movie, probably had a lot to do with its success, but the presence of artists such as H-Town and SWV didn't hurt. Look for Bonnie Raitt's "Longing in Their Hearts," which debuted at No. 3, to be an enduring hit. New Age king Yanni, whose album jumped to No.

At 44, an age when many pop-rockers are in the twilight of their careers, Bonnie Raitt exudes the energy and ambition of someone just entering her prime--which she may well be. Pop's most-famous redhead was radiant as she walked into an office at the Capitol Tower in Hollywood to talk about her second album since her recording career was dramatically rejuvenated.

Youth is where the action is in pop music, right? So if you're starting a new record company, whom would you sign? How about Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, 51, troubadour and actor Kris Kristofferson, 57, and former Rascals singer Felix Cavaliere--49 and out of the music business for 15 years?

T he record industry loses one of its icons today when Joe Smith retires as president and chief executive officer of Capitol-EMI Music. Smith's career roughly spans the rock 'n' roll era. After years as a disc jockey, he spent 1961-1983 as an executive at Warner Bros. Records and Elektra/Asylum Records, where he had an up-close view of the pop culture revolution. Among the acts he helped sign: the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and James Taylor.

Bonnie Raitt connects with women over 25--intellectually at least--like no other female artist right now. At her sold-out Hollywood Bowl concert on Tuesday, Raitt was a singing role model for a generation of women. Her fans don't just like to hear her sing, they also seem to want to be like her. Much of Raitt's appeal to women lies in her slightly amused but no-nonsense approach to womanhood, romance and life. She's in her early 40s and seems to be proud of it.

There's nothing flashy about any of these videos. Raitt is obviously catering to the relatively conservative tastes of her mostly over-30 fans. The selections in the half-hour collection are from her recent hit albums "Nick of Time" and "Luck of the Draw." The visual interpretations of her pithy, bluesy pop songs are basically low-key, mildly melodramatic and, in the case of "Something to Talk About," sometimes gently amusing.

The most notable parent-and-child duets in recent years have been pieced together half-posthumously in the studio, with talented engineers providing much of the magic. Think of Nat and Natalie, or Hank and Hank Jr. But with Sunday's airing of "Great Performances" on PBS, fans of the popular music of two distinct generations will get a rare chance to see a father and daughter equally famous in their separate heydays team up live and on stage.

The most notable parent-and-child duets in recent years have been pieced together half-posthumously in the studio, with talented engineers providing much of the magic. Think of Nat and Natalie, or Hank and Hank Jr. But with Sunday's airing of "Evening at Pops" on PBS, fans of the popular music of two distinct generations will get a rare chance to see a father and daughter equally famous in their separate heydays team up live and on stage.

*** Sass Jordan, "Racine," Impact/MCA. If the Black Crowes backed Bonnie Raitt, the result might sound like "Racine." After a year in which there weren't enough women rockers releasing albums to merit their own Grammy category, Canadian Jordan's bluesy rock can be forgiven its lack of innovation in light of its get-me-a-beer-and-turn-the-stereo-up vigor.