I know I mentioned it roughly
forever ago, but yesterday marked the day that I finally got my Canon
Digital Rebel Xti. Show reviews will never be the same again here at
SOTO. Of course, by that I do mean the pictures will be rather snazzy.
The rambling content will remain the same. Anyhow, let's talk about
Bettye LaVette. I was out browsing records yesterday when I noticed
that she has a new full length titled The Scene Of The Crime out on
Anti - Records. Why didn't anyone tell me? I mean, I knew she
was still doing it and doing it well at the ripe age of 61, but I had no
idea that she had a whole disc of new material for the lot of us.
Needless to say, it's a pure knockout. Here's hoping all of us can
manage to be as good as her when we get up there in years. Enjoy.
:Bettye
LaVette - You Don't Know Me At All:
"I feel empty babe/Used up by you/And this whole town."
It's not just the stellar songwriting or the bluesy
arrangement that makes this Bettye song so fantastically
good. Nope, if anything it's all about the weight that
her stunningly powerful voice puts behind it. I can
think of quite a few songs that have terrible lyrical
choices, but I'm willing to be that Bettye could make them
serviceable by working her vocal magic on them. Hell,
she could probably half-ass it and still sound better than
most.
:Bettye
LaVette - Talking Old Soldiers:
Here, you aren't going to get the same kind of energy that's
readily available in the one above. This is a slow
burning, gut-wrenching version of an old Elton John song
that's meant to make you shut your mouth and listen.
Now whether the slow rolling of the piano keys or the
overpowering vocal work by Bettye is what causes you to do
so is a choice that is entirely up to you. Though, I
think you already know which of those is going to do the
trick.
-
John Laird -
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