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?
