BETTYE LAVETTE
''WORTHY''
JANUARY 27 2015
43:37
1 Unbelievable (Bob Dylan) 3:12
2 When I Was A Young Girl (Chris Youlden) 3:36
3 Bless Us All (Mickey Newbury) 2:49
4 Stop (Joseph Lee Henry) 4:21
5 Undamned (Linford Detweiler) 3:29
6 Complicated (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) 3:39
7 Where A Life Goes (Randall Bramblett) 5:02
8 Just Between You And Me And The Wall, You're a Fool (JH Brown Jr) 6:37
9 Wait (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:37
10 Step Away (Christine Santelli/Brian Mitchell) 3:02
11 Worthy (Beth Neilsen Chapman/Mary Gauthier) 4:07
Jay Bellerose/Drums, Percussion
Doyle Bramhall II/Bass, Guitar
Chris Bruce/Bass, Guitar (Acoustic)
Ben Chapoteau-Katz/Sax (Baritone)
Levon Henry/Horn Arrangements, Sax (Tenor)
Linton Smith/Trumpet
Patrick Warren/Chamberlin, Organ (Hammond), Piano
"Now, after almost a decade, the legend that is Bettye LaVette has teamed up with producer Joe Henry once again and the result is a stunning new album, Worthy, featuring 11 songs composed by writers such as Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Mickey Newbury, Beth Nielsen Chapman & Mary Gauthier (who wrote the album title track) and Joe Henry among others. As Joe Henry states; "With every song on Worthy, Bettye finds the thread that first will unravel it. Then she stitches it all back together until it fits her taut frame and fierce stride, until it bends to meet her, until each song’s story is somehow, miraculously, telling her own”. Worthy is a supreme achievement from a uniquely gifted performer." - Cherry Red Records
Bettye LaVette is starting 2015 with a big bang. The inimitable and legendary R&B songstress is releasing a new album, 'WORTHY', on January 27, and on a new label — Cherry Red (distributed in the US by MVD Entertainment). Worthy reunites her with Joe Henry, this time with both of them co-producing.
Bettye will be world premiering selections from Worthy at the renowned Café Carlyle in New York City starting January 27-31 and again February 3-7 (celebrating her 69th birthday at the show on the 29th). The prestigious residency kicks off a 4 month promotional tour of North America, the UK, and Europe, including stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
On Worthy, Bettye revisits Dylan with the opening track “Unbelievable,” with a funky urgency introduced into the song, not present in the original. On “When I Was a Young Girl,” she slides effortlessly into a slinky groove which Chris Youlden of Savoy Brown probably never imagined. “Bless Us All” is as relevant now as when Mickey Newbury wrote it decades ago, while her rendition of Joe Henry’s own “Stop” is jazzy, soulful and reminds one not to dare try to stop her. The musicians on the album all brought their A-game to the plate: Jay Bellerose on drums and percussion, Doyle Bramall II on guitar, Chris Bruce on bass and Patrick Warren on Piano, Hammond organ and Chamberlin.
Worthy is comprised of a special selection of songs making for an extremely reflective, visceral, yet at the same time, vulnerable album. “Where a Life Goes” is a conversation between Bettye and her deceased sister. When she sings the Lennon/McCartney track “Wait” and the title track “Worthy,” Bettye is at her most insightful and satisfied. Perhaps, the most heart-wrenching tunes of the lot may be “Undamned” filled with quiet desperation, and “Just Between You and Me and the Wall You’re a Fool,” on which she wears her tattered and battered heart on her sleeve.
Bettye had this to say about her new album:
"I am extremely satisfied with this recording and I am anxiously awaiting its release... and I hope somebody agrees with me. lol"
REVIEW
Mark Deming, AMG
Bettye LaVette doesn't write her own songs, but she doesn't have to -- by the time she's finished singing a tune, LaVette has turned it into something entirely her own, an emotional statement that's original and complete. Since LaVette reminded American listeners that she was still working at the top of her game with the 2003 live set A Woman Like Me, she's been releasing a steady stream of new albums confirming her status as one of the strongest and most individual interpretive vocalists in the 21st century. LaVette's first studio album after A Woman Like Me was the outstanding I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, produced by Joe Henry, and for 2014's Worthy, LaVette has teamed up again with Henry and several of the same musicians who played on those sessions. Henry is a producer whose approach is less about studio technique and more about setting a mood and letting artists go where they will, and LaVette is the sort of artist who responds best to this treatment; on Worthy, LaVette sings with strength and passion, but she understands dynamics, knowing when to go full-out and when to rein herself in, and her tough but thoughtful approach to the material is powerfully effective and full of keen emotional intelligence and her soulful, sweet and sour voice. Worthy finds LaVette covering songs by the Beatles ("Wait"), the Rolling Stones ("Complicated"), Bob Dylan ("Unbelievable"), and Beth Nielsen Chapman (the title cut), but if LaVette doesn't necessarily make you forget the originals, each time she takes them to a place that's clearly of her own making. LaVette discovers something fresh and deeply personal in every number here, and the backing band on these sessions (including Doyle Bramhall II on guitar, Chris Bruce on bass, and Patrick Warren on keyboards) works with her beautifully, with a give and take that's a master class in how to accompany a vocalist. Worthy is another impressive release from an outstanding singer, and if it follows the pattern of some of her recent albums, nothing here sounds rote; this is the sound of an artist doing what she does best, and she is far more than worthy of this great music.
BIOGRAPHY
By Jason Ankeny, AMG
A perennial cult favorite in Northern soul circles, singer Bettye LaVette was born in Muskegon, MI, on January 29, 1946. Raised primarily across the state in Detroit, at 16 she cut her first sides for the local Lupine label, with a test pressing of the disc making its way to Atlantic Records. After signing with Atlantic, she scored an R&B Top Ten hit out of the box with her debut single, "My Man -- He's a Loving Man," only to fail to reach the same commercial heights again. After one more Atlantic release, 1963's "You'll Never Change," LaVette moved back to Lupine for her third record, "Witchcraft in the Air." After a stint as a featured vocalist with the Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford Revue, she recorded the long-unreleased "One Thin Dime" for Scepter before resurfacing on Calla with the 1965 lost classic "Let Me Down Easy," her only other record to crack the R&B Top 20. Two more Calla efforts -- the fine "Only Your Love Can Save Me" and "I'm Just a Fool for You" -- preceded a shift to Big Wheel, where after just one single, "I'm Holding On," LaVette again moved along, this time to the Karen imprint for "Hey Love."
Following stays at Silver Fox ("He Made a Woman Out of Me," "Do Your Duty"), SSS International ("Take Another Piece of My Heart"), and her own TCA imprint ("Never My Love"), LaVette returned to Atlantic, signing to their Atco division for 1972's Neil Young cover "Heart of Gold." An LP, Child of the Seventies, was also recorded at Muscle Shoals Studios, but Atco opted against its release after the failure of the single "Your Turn to Cry" (the album was reissued, complete with bonus tracks, in limited copies by Rhino in 2006). After joining the touring company of the Broadway musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, LaVette briefly signed to West End for a disco effort, 1978's "Doin' the Best I Can."
She did not record again until 1982, landing at Motown and rechristening herself "Bettye." However, despite a heavy promotional push, neither the LP Tell Me a Lie nor the single "Right in the Middle (Of Falling in Love)" proved her long-awaited chart breakthrough, and outside of a handful of recordings for Motor City during the '90s, she focused primarily on live appearances in the years to follow. The 2000s found her in the recording studio more frequently with new albums A Woman Like Me being released by the Blues Express label in 2003 followed by I've Got My Own Hell to Raise in 2005 on the Anti label. In 2006, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, a collection of Silver Fox singles as well as other material, all of which had been recorded in Memphis between 1969 and 1970, came out on Varèse Sarabande. The Scene of the Crime appeared on Anti in 2007. LaVette next tackled classic songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and the Who, among others, on 2010's Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook, which she co-produced with Rob Mathes and Michael Stevens. LaVette celebrated her 50th year as a performer in 2012 by releasing Thankful 'n' Thoughtful, covering songs by the Black Keys, Sly Stone, Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, among others, and also issued her autobiography, A Woman Like Me. LaVette reunited with producer Joe Henry, who was behind the controls for The Scene of the Crime, for 2015's Worthy, her first album for the British Cherry Red label.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
''WORTHY''
JANUARY 27 2015
43:37
1 Unbelievable (Bob Dylan) 3:12
2 When I Was A Young Girl (Chris Youlden) 3:36
3 Bless Us All (Mickey Newbury) 2:49
4 Stop (Joseph Lee Henry) 4:21
5 Undamned (Linford Detweiler) 3:29
6 Complicated (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) 3:39
7 Where A Life Goes (Randall Bramblett) 5:02
8 Just Between You And Me And The Wall, You're a Fool (JH Brown Jr) 6:37
9 Wait (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:37
10 Step Away (Christine Santelli/Brian Mitchell) 3:02
11 Worthy (Beth Neilsen Chapman/Mary Gauthier) 4:07
Jay Bellerose/Drums, Percussion
Doyle Bramhall II/Bass, Guitar
Chris Bruce/Bass, Guitar (Acoustic)
Ben Chapoteau-Katz/Sax (Baritone)
Levon Henry/Horn Arrangements, Sax (Tenor)
Linton Smith/Trumpet
Patrick Warren/Chamberlin, Organ (Hammond), Piano
"Now, after almost a decade, the legend that is Bettye LaVette has teamed up with producer Joe Henry once again and the result is a stunning new album, Worthy, featuring 11 songs composed by writers such as Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Mickey Newbury, Beth Nielsen Chapman & Mary Gauthier (who wrote the album title track) and Joe Henry among others. As Joe Henry states; "With every song on Worthy, Bettye finds the thread that first will unravel it. Then she stitches it all back together until it fits her taut frame and fierce stride, until it bends to meet her, until each song’s story is somehow, miraculously, telling her own”. Worthy is a supreme achievement from a uniquely gifted performer." - Cherry Red Records
Bettye LaVette is starting 2015 with a big bang. The inimitable and legendary R&B songstress is releasing a new album, 'WORTHY', on January 27, and on a new label — Cherry Red (distributed in the US by MVD Entertainment). Worthy reunites her with Joe Henry, this time with both of them co-producing.
Bettye will be world premiering selections from Worthy at the renowned Café Carlyle in New York City starting January 27-31 and again February 3-7 (celebrating her 69th birthday at the show on the 29th). The prestigious residency kicks off a 4 month promotional tour of North America, the UK, and Europe, including stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
On Worthy, Bettye revisits Dylan with the opening track “Unbelievable,” with a funky urgency introduced into the song, not present in the original. On “When I Was a Young Girl,” she slides effortlessly into a slinky groove which Chris Youlden of Savoy Brown probably never imagined. “Bless Us All” is as relevant now as when Mickey Newbury wrote it decades ago, while her rendition of Joe Henry’s own “Stop” is jazzy, soulful and reminds one not to dare try to stop her. The musicians on the album all brought their A-game to the plate: Jay Bellerose on drums and percussion, Doyle Bramall II on guitar, Chris Bruce on bass and Patrick Warren on Piano, Hammond organ and Chamberlin.
Worthy is comprised of a special selection of songs making for an extremely reflective, visceral, yet at the same time, vulnerable album. “Where a Life Goes” is a conversation between Bettye and her deceased sister. When she sings the Lennon/McCartney track “Wait” and the title track “Worthy,” Bettye is at her most insightful and satisfied. Perhaps, the most heart-wrenching tunes of the lot may be “Undamned” filled with quiet desperation, and “Just Between You and Me and the Wall You’re a Fool,” on which she wears her tattered and battered heart on her sleeve.
Bettye had this to say about her new album:
"I am extremely satisfied with this recording and I am anxiously awaiting its release... and I hope somebody agrees with me. lol"
REVIEW
Mark Deming, AMG
Bettye LaVette doesn't write her own songs, but she doesn't have to -- by the time she's finished singing a tune, LaVette has turned it into something entirely her own, an emotional statement that's original and complete. Since LaVette reminded American listeners that she was still working at the top of her game with the 2003 live set A Woman Like Me, she's been releasing a steady stream of new albums confirming her status as one of the strongest and most individual interpretive vocalists in the 21st century. LaVette's first studio album after A Woman Like Me was the outstanding I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, produced by Joe Henry, and for 2014's Worthy, LaVette has teamed up again with Henry and several of the same musicians who played on those sessions. Henry is a producer whose approach is less about studio technique and more about setting a mood and letting artists go where they will, and LaVette is the sort of artist who responds best to this treatment; on Worthy, LaVette sings with strength and passion, but she understands dynamics, knowing when to go full-out and when to rein herself in, and her tough but thoughtful approach to the material is powerfully effective and full of keen emotional intelligence and her soulful, sweet and sour voice. Worthy finds LaVette covering songs by the Beatles ("Wait"), the Rolling Stones ("Complicated"), Bob Dylan ("Unbelievable"), and Beth Nielsen Chapman (the title cut), but if LaVette doesn't necessarily make you forget the originals, each time she takes them to a place that's clearly of her own making. LaVette discovers something fresh and deeply personal in every number here, and the backing band on these sessions (including Doyle Bramhall II on guitar, Chris Bruce on bass, and Patrick Warren on keyboards) works with her beautifully, with a give and take that's a master class in how to accompany a vocalist. Worthy is another impressive release from an outstanding singer, and if it follows the pattern of some of her recent albums, nothing here sounds rote; this is the sound of an artist doing what she does best, and she is far more than worthy of this great music.
BIOGRAPHY
By Jason Ankeny, AMG
A perennial cult favorite in Northern soul circles, singer Bettye LaVette was born in Muskegon, MI, on January 29, 1946. Raised primarily across the state in Detroit, at 16 she cut her first sides for the local Lupine label, with a test pressing of the disc making its way to Atlantic Records. After signing with Atlantic, she scored an R&B Top Ten hit out of the box with her debut single, "My Man -- He's a Loving Man," only to fail to reach the same commercial heights again. After one more Atlantic release, 1963's "You'll Never Change," LaVette moved back to Lupine for her third record, "Witchcraft in the Air." After a stint as a featured vocalist with the Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford Revue, she recorded the long-unreleased "One Thin Dime" for Scepter before resurfacing on Calla with the 1965 lost classic "Let Me Down Easy," her only other record to crack the R&B Top 20. Two more Calla efforts -- the fine "Only Your Love Can Save Me" and "I'm Just a Fool for You" -- preceded a shift to Big Wheel, where after just one single, "I'm Holding On," LaVette again moved along, this time to the Karen imprint for "Hey Love."
Following stays at Silver Fox ("He Made a Woman Out of Me," "Do Your Duty"), SSS International ("Take Another Piece of My Heart"), and her own TCA imprint ("Never My Love"), LaVette returned to Atlantic, signing to their Atco division for 1972's Neil Young cover "Heart of Gold." An LP, Child of the Seventies, was also recorded at Muscle Shoals Studios, but Atco opted against its release after the failure of the single "Your Turn to Cry" (the album was reissued, complete with bonus tracks, in limited copies by Rhino in 2006). After joining the touring company of the Broadway musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, LaVette briefly signed to West End for a disco effort, 1978's "Doin' the Best I Can."
She did not record again until 1982, landing at Motown and rechristening herself "Bettye." However, despite a heavy promotional push, neither the LP Tell Me a Lie nor the single "Right in the Middle (Of Falling in Love)" proved her long-awaited chart breakthrough, and outside of a handful of recordings for Motor City during the '90s, she focused primarily on live appearances in the years to follow. The 2000s found her in the recording studio more frequently with new albums A Woman Like Me being released by the Blues Express label in 2003 followed by I've Got My Own Hell to Raise in 2005 on the Anti label. In 2006, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, a collection of Silver Fox singles as well as other material, all of which had been recorded in Memphis between 1969 and 1970, came out on Varèse Sarabande. The Scene of the Crime appeared on Anti in 2007. LaVette next tackled classic songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and the Who, among others, on 2010's Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook, which she co-produced with Rob Mathes and Michael Stevens. LaVette celebrated her 50th year as a performer in 2012 by releasing Thankful 'n' Thoughtful, covering songs by the Black Keys, Sly Stone, Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, among others, and also issued her autobiography, A Woman Like Me. LaVette reunited with producer Joe Henry, who was behind the controls for The Scene of the Crime, for 2015's Worthy, her first album for the British Cherry Red label.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
