Joann D. Ball for Grateful Web
Bettye LaVette and bandmates; Alan Hill (music director, keyboards), Darryl Pierce (drums), James Simonson (bass), and, Brett Lucas (guitar) treated the packed house to a deep and thorough exploration of her new album. She shared stories about how she discovered and personally connected with the songs, then sang them from her heart and soul. She also gave credit where it was due, and identified the songwriters of all of the record’s 11 tracks.
Ms. LaVette lets the music move her throughout the evening. She danced her way through “Complicated” by the Rolling Stones. She was wistful and reminiscent, however, when she introduced “What’s It Like” as the type of conversation she’d have with her beloved older sister who died years ago. After covering the entire new CD, she took requests from the audience and responded with a fiery version of “Joy” by Lucinda Williams. A reworked and almost unrecognizable version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” and a celebratory “Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)” followed.
At the end of the upbeat tale about beating the odds, LaVette left her band onstage. Singing “until the money came,” she took a well-deserved victory lap around the venue and through the backstage door.