Bette Smith traces elements of her sound to her childhood in rough Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, connecting the gospel music she heard in church and the soul music on the corners. She remembers, “My father was a church choir director. I was singing since I was five years old. I take it to church. I just break out, start speaking in tongues.” She also heard gospel around the house every weekend. “My mother listened to nothing but gospel,” she recalls, citing Mahalia Jackson and Reverend James Cleveland. “Every Sunday morning, she would get up and put on these records while dressing and praising the Lord,” she says. Bed-Stuy block parties would also have revivalist-style gospel acts. “I’m steeped in it!”, she adds. This injection of soul music and gospel into rock & roll powered a breakout in 2017’s debut Jetlagger and 2020’s The Good, The Bad, and The Bette.
Immediately upon pressing play on the new Bette Smith single, you are overtaken by nostalgic funk. “M.O.N.E.Y” is a modern exploration into the chase for profit set to an infectious bassline with a stunning vocal performance that brings the whole track to life. Smith navigates this chaotic arrangement with ease, her melodic phrasing and powerful vocals cut through even the grooviest instrumental. “M.O.N.E.Y” is a reminder to not take things so seriously, let the funk take over and get lost in this gospel-inspired tune.
