Bettye LaVette gets classified as an R&B singer, which she is, of course, but her newest album, the Craig Street-produced Thankful N' Thoughtful, finds her taking her blues, gospel, and soul-influenced singing style into deep, swampy, and edgy American roots territory, and she makes it all work with a sting and bite to her phrasing that ranks her as one of the best living soul singers.
She gives Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" a little jump of joy, moving the song away from being plaintive and lonely to something closer to anxious homesickness.
Tom Waits' "Yesterday Is Here," complete with brass and reeds, loses some of its clang and becomes a poignant blues.
The most stunning track here is LaVette's reinvention of the old folk song "Dirty Old Town," best known in the version by the Pogues.
She fills it with disgust and ominous menace -- there's also a slower version of "Dirty Old Town" that lets a measure of sadness creep back in at the close of the album.
Thankful N' Thoughtful is a solid outing from an outstanding singer who knows how to growl, croon, grumble, praise, and jump for joy with her vocal phrasing -- whatever makes the song live and breathe.
She is still a marvel.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everything Is BrokenBob Dylan | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | I'm Not the OneDan Auerbach, Patrick Carney | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Dirty Old TownEwan MacColl | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 4 | The More I Search (The More I Die)Kim McLean | Bettye LaVette | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | I'm TiredChris Youlden | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | CrazyBrian Joseph Burton, Thomas Callaway, Gian Franco Reverberi, Gian Piero Reverberi | Bettye LaVette | Play | 05:47 | 13 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | Yesterday Is HereKathleen Brennan, Tom Waits | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | Thankful N' ThoughtfulSylvester Stewart | Bettye LaVette | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Fair EnoughBeth Nielsen Chapman, Dominic Miller, Kevin Savigar | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Time Will Do the TalkingPatricia Griffin | Bettye LaVette | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | Everybody Knows This Is NowhereNeil Young | Bettye LaVette | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 12 | Dirty Old Town [Slow Version]Ewan MacColl | Bettye LaVette | Play | 07:01 | 16 MB | 38 MB |
| 50 mins | 115 MB | |||||
| 50 mins | 292 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Auerbach | Composer |
| 2 | Mark Bengston | Engineer |
| 3 | Steven Bernstein | Brass |
| 4 | Kathleen Brennan | Composer |
| 5 | Chris Bruce | Guitar |
| 6 | Brian Joseph Burton | Composer |
| 7 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 8 | Thomas Callaway | Composer |
| 9 | Patrick Carney | Composer |
| 10 | Beth Nielsen Chapman | Composer |
| 11 | Jennifer Condos | Bass |
| 12 | Matthew Cullen | Engineer, Mixing |
| 13 | Bob Dylan | Composer |
| 14 | Eric Gardner | Management |
| 15 | Tom Gold | Booking |
| 16 | Bryce Gonzales | Engineer |
| 17 | Patricia Griffin | Composer |
| 18 | JJ Johnson | Drums, Percussion |
| 19 | Bettye LaVette | Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 20 | Ewan MacColl | Composer |
| 21 | Kim McLean | Composer |
| 22 | Dominic Miller | Composer |
| 23 | Glenn Patscha | Keyboards, Piano, Vocals |
| 24 | Gian Franco Reverberi | Composer |
| 25 | Gian Piero Reverberi | Composer |
| 26 | Kevin Savigar | Composer |
| 27 | Sylvester Stewart | Composer |
| 28 | Craig Street | Producer |
| 29 | Tom Waits | Composer |
| 30 | Doug Wieselman | Reeds |
| 31 | Jonathan Wilson | Banjo, Guitar |
| 32 | Chris Youlden | Composer |
| 33 | Neil Young | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
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