In an ironic microcosm of the more than 40-year career of
the multifaceted Bettye Lavette,
I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, her eighth full-length album is just now getting
massive recognition and true popularity, months after being initially released
in September.
I've Got My Own Hell to Raise is a 10-track masterwork
collaboration between 10 female artists including songs written by Fiona Apple,
Aimee Mann, Sinead O'Connor, and Dolly Parton. Each
song tells a part of LaVette's life story and
struggle through songs written by fellow female artists.
The album, which has been widely regarded as one of the best
releases of 2005, is, if nothing else, pure emotion recorded and packaged on a
CD. With a voice that exemplifies the meaning of "soul," LaVette has produced a landmark release both in her career
and soul music as a whole, pumping life into the genre and making it easily
accessible and understandable to an entirely new and eager fan base.
The second track on LaVette's
release, "Joy," is a song written by Lucinda Williams, a three-time
Grammy Award-winning folk artist who is probably best known for the 2002 single
"Get Right With God." With "Joy,"
Williams' words and ingenuity on guitar are sung to perfection by LaVette.
The song recounts LaVette's early career
telling of her struggles in Detroit, New
York and Memphis,
hitting the hardest with the refrain: "they took my joy, I want it back.
Oh my joy... I want it back." The song is a successful mix of country and
soul music that has a unique sound that proves to be surprisingly powerful.
"The High Road," written by Sharon Robinson,
Leonard Cohen's right hand woman, is the next track of note on LaVette's release. With this song, LaVette
takes a slowed-down approach to sing about women needing to stand up for
themselves, specifically in abusive relationships. The result of collaboration
between Robinson and LaVette is somewhere between
"Gimme One Reason to Stay Here" from Tracy
Chapman or Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive"
but is as powerful or addictive as either.
The final two songs of note, "Little Sparrow" and
"How Am I Different," follow each other as tracks number seven and
eight on the release and are written by a pair of famous '80s music icons:
Dolly Parton and Aimee Mann.
Parton's "Little
Sparrow" has been described as a "bluesy omen" and touches on
the subject of female independence with a backing reminiscent of Steppenwolf's
"The Pusher." The song is slower and more melody driven than the
other tracks on the release, but as odd as it may sound, this interesting take
on Parton's song may in fact be one of the most
empowering songs released in years.
Finally, Mann's "How Am I Different" may be the
cornerstone of the album. Anyone who is a fan of Mann's work will recognize the
sound immediately, but much like Johnny Cash put a new spin on Nine Inch Nails'
"Hurt," LaVette gives this song an extra
punch that only someone with her voice could give.
Soul music is a universally respected but sometimes acquired
taste, especially for younger generations who did not experience the genre's
heyday. With her effort on I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, it really is baffling
how someone of LaVette's talent could go unnoticed
for so long but without her trials and tribulations, one wonders if her release
would have been as powerful.
Bettye LaVette
is graciously embracing her well overdue success and now the 50-something
singer may finally get to hear the words she has been longing to hear since she
cut her first single:
Welcome to the big time, Bettye.
Artist: Bettye LaVette
Album: I've Got My Own Hell to Raise
Label: Anti
Key Tracks: "Joy," "The High Road,"
"Little Sparrow," "How Am I Different"
Release Date: Sept.
27, 2005
Posted: 1/17/06
Source: MavRadio
Return to: Black Music Archives