Bettye Lavette

Thankful N' Thoughtful Anti****

That Betty LaVette has relished her renaissance in the past decade is an understatement. I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, produced by Joe Henry, put the Detroit r’n’b veteran with the rasping, dusky, dusty voice in the spotlight for the first time in decades. So LaVette has taken the album title quite literally by making up for lost time with some fine follow-up records.

Thankful N' Thoughtful sees LaVette and her band take a bunch of songs and make them her own. By right, that's what a good cover should be, but few acts have LaVette's guile and guidance when it comes to dissecting, deconstructing and remaking a song. As she reshapes I'm Not the One (Black Keys), Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl) and Crazy (Gnarls Barkley), you have to doff your cap and salute her passion, raw blues and singular vision. bettyelavette.com

Download tracks:Dirty Old Town, Crazy, I'm Not the One