Vocalist and iconoclast Bettye LaVette enters her sixth decade of recorded music with no inklings of settling down. Her signature fire and unique interpretative ability are as strong as ever. On LaVette! she chooses to cover songs of the criminally underrecognized singer-songwriter Randall Bramblett. So, it may well be both a blessing and a curse that many listeners will not be as familiar with these songs as with some of the artists she has interpreted in the past. LaVette says this about Bramblett, “I think he’s the best songwriter I’ve heard in the past 30 years, and I just discovered him eight years ago.” Her producer and now drummer for The Rolling Stones, Steve Jordan indicates that the most versatile and precise band is needed for LaVette’s recordings because she puts her heart and soul into every performance, leaving it possible to get only one or two takes. We all know through listening that she puts her stamp on the song, claiming such ownership as to render the original barely recognizable at times.
LaVette and Jordan with their own considerable clout are able to recruit bassist Pino Palladino, guitarists Larry Campbell and Chris Bruce, keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, and an equally stunning guest list of John Mayer, Jon Batiste, Anthony Hamilton, Steve Winwood, Ray Parker Jr., Rev. Charles Hodges, James Carter, and Pedrito Martinez. The opener “See My Through” features the latter on percussion as he bubbles through the distortion-driven guitars and LaVette’s angsty vocal. Steve Winwood, once Bramblett’s bandleader, is on B3 for the hard driving “Don’t Get me Started” which also has a concise, rocking guitar solo from Campbell.
The funkified, slower-paced “Lazy” has LaVette drawing out the lyrics for full effect in this bluesy ode to mental freedom with guitarist Bruce soloing. The lineup shifts, yet the backdrop remains ever funky for “Sooner and Later” with LaVette getting assists from organist Hodges, guitarist Parker Jr., and vocals from Anthony Hamilton. “Plan B” seems as if it were written with LaVette in mind as these are the kind of lyrics she would naturally embrace “Danglin’ on a string, mumblin’ a prayer, my mojo’s busted and I ain’t got a spare…I ain’t got no Plan B.” “Concrete Mind” is a much softer, late night-like R&B ballad imbued by guest Monte Croft’s Roy Ayers-like vibes. Guitarist John Mayer takes the bluesy solo on one of Bramblett’s best-known tunes, “In the Meantime,” which proves an excellent vehicle for LaVette’s trademark aching delivery. On the other hand, LaVette uncharacteristically sounds nearly jubilant on “Mess About It,” with support from two upbeat personalities, guitarist Parker Jr. and Jon Batiste on the acoustic piano.
The soundscape returns to filthy, greasy funk on “Hard to Be Human” underpinned by James Carter’s baritone sax and his eventual solo on the same. The elusive and intimate “Not Gonna Waste My Love” proves to be a standout ballad, with a starker backdrop of mostly just Pendarvis on Rhodes and Wurlitzer, infused with a few spiraling guitar lines. It sets up the gospel-like closer, “It’s Alright,” a grand finale with Campbell on pedal steel, and the background vocals of Tawatha Agee and Cindy Mizelle, their only appearance on the album.
As one might expect from any Jordan production, the album is eminently funky. That sound works well for a while but begins to wear thin, rescued in the latter half by tracks such as “Concrete Mind,” “Not Gonna Waste My Love” and the superb closer “It’s Alright,” which do the best job of depicting LaVette’s endearing, pour-it-all-out and leave-nothing-on-the-floor-vocals. Of course, there’s a side benefit too – Randall Bramblett is likely to expand his number of followers as a result.
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Bettye is the greatest! I do a radio program on WPFW-FM (Pacifica) and I used her wonderful statement about Tina Turner on my program last week to recognize African American Music Month.