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Recently, there's been a positive glut of previously-unheard-of 'music-biz legends' making comebacks. Step forward Bettye Lavette, the latest soul survivor to claw her way back from the brink.
The Scene of the Crime is recorded at Muscle Shoals' legendary Fame studios, and features Lavette interpreting songs by the likes of Elton John, John Hiatt, Don Henley and Willie Nelson. Wait, come back! It is a lot more soulful, and less middle of the road, that these names might suggest.
Lavette's collaborators - including Southern bar band, Drive By Truckers, and keyboard legend Spooner Oldham - have recreated the early 70s vibe of the studio's heyday, in a gritty, proud and open-hearted work tinged with country and rock'n'roll, and filled with tales of life, love and hard knocks.
The album is split between atmospheric ballads, Lavette's emotive vocals backed by keys, occasional pedal steel and little else; and rockier, mid-tempo numbers. By and large, the former are the most successful: highlights include the regretful Choices; Willie Nelson's elegant lament 'Somebody Pick Up My Pieces'; and, surprisingly the album's stand-out, Elton John's 'Talking Old Soldiers'. This bar-room elegy to dead friends is the album's emotional fulcrum, with echoes of early Tom Waits.
Elsewhere, there are hints of latter-day Dylan in the sardonic lyrics and phrasing of 'Last Time'; and the classy soul/blues heartbreak of Bobby 'Blue' Bland on 'Jealousy' and 'I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That Now'. The fiery 'I was right' narrative of 'Before the Money Came (Battle of Bettye LaVette)' sums up her career in under five minutes - full of soul and pride, and stubborn as a mule.
It hasn't been an easy life for Lavette. So it would take a heart of stone to begrudge the late-found success of 'the only 60-year-old black woman with a new three-record deal'. --Ben Wood
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great voice meets a great band,
By
This review is from: The Scene Of The Crime (Audio CD)
Bettye Lavette's excellent "I've Got My own Hell To Raise" showed how a solid, sympathetic backing band could showcase her superb phrasing and kickass vocals. For her follow up her record label asked loud, raucous and exuberant Alabama rockers - the Drive-by Truckers to provide the backing. They took Ms Lavette back to Muscle Shoals Alabama, where her lost classic 1970s album was cut for Atlantic Records and then shelved, hence the title.
The Truckers Patterson Hood and their cohort David Barbe take the production duties as Muscle Shoals sessioneers Spooner Oldham and David Hood (Patterson's father) join the Truckers to add further layers of meaning to the sessions. The Truckers sound nothing like the Truckers, they sound like a great R & B backing band. This is Ms Lavette's album and they kepp in the background bringing her gritty, emotive voice to the fore and filling in the spaces. It is an album full of great interpretations of songs but the one original song, the autobiographic "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" is a highlight. What an achievement!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strong Musicianship; Weak Songs,
By
This review is from: The Scene Of The Crime (Audio CD)
There's one thing lets this record down. It's not Lavette herself: She has the quintessential R'n'B voice and knows how to use it. It's not musicianship: The undercover Drive By Truckers are magnificent, and the drop-ins like Spooner Oldham and David Hood give the project some added kudos, too. It's the songs: You have the lyrical muscle of DBT, including the Dirtroad Dylan himself, Mike Cooley, and the best song on the whole album is written by Elton John, who I'm afraid lost me shortly after Tumbleweed Connection. Despite that it's a good record, but it most definitely ain't a great record. You can feel it's good from the start as the guitars kick in with an irresistible riff and some addictive hooks, and then you feel the emotional pull of Lavette's gravel-honed tonsils. On that score she would give Cooley more than a run for his money. The guitars of DBT are well complemented by Oldham's keyboards, and on several tracks include John Neff's pedal steel which gives an interesting country flavour to a definitely not-country record: DBT truly are undercover stylistically but demonstrate their R'n'B chops to the max. But as I say, the songs themselves are disappointing overall lyrically, there is little by way of a memorable tune, and my overall feeling is that it's pretty well a dead cert that I wouldn't have bought the record had it not been for the presence of DBT. Honestly. I've listened a dozen times at least, and can't get excited, and I'm being generous with four stars. Is that another crime?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it,
By Johnny Bee "old git" (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Scene Of The Crime (Audio CD)
Knew nothing about Ms LaVette before purchasing this, but enjoy a lot of the Drive-by Truckers stuff so thought I'd give it a go. And I'm glad I did! From that powerful and emotive voice, it's evident that this lady has lived and would be terrific live. The Truckers; Spooner Oldham et al sound like a 60s or early 70s southern RnB / soul band (not the horrible din that passes for RnB nowadays). The songs are mostly great and I'm not really sure how a previous reviewer can say that the material's weak - I'm not that familiar with Talking Old Soldiers by EJ, but it seems to work well enough here. It's just a pity that few people will get the opportunity to hear this, particularly as the artist has created such a great album in her autumn years. I'll definitely explore more of Bettye's stuff.
If you enjoy Stax or Atlantic Soul, you'll enyoy this.
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