Bettye LaVette - Do Your Duty '2009

Tracks list

 ReviewPrior to her recent rediscovery by a new generation of admirers,
Detroit-bred soul diva Bettye LaVette spent nearly four decades building a
thrilling body of music that her new fans now have the pleasure of discovering.
For many longtime LaVette devotees, her recordings for the Silver Fox label, and
its parent company SSS International, rank with the artist’s finest work.
Do Your Duty collects the 11 classic solo sides that LaVette cut for Silver Fox
and SSS in 1969 and 1970, including her beloved R&B hits “He Made a Woman
Out of Me” and “Do Your Duty.”

Detroits Bettye LaVette, whod debuted on wax aged just 16 in 1962 with US R&B
Top 10 Lu-Pine release My Man- Hes A Lovin Man, had a real raspy husk and one
helluva set of powerful lungs. She put them to great use at Silver Fox and SSS
International in 1969 and 1970, where she recorded eight sides and three
unissued cuts, all included on Do Your Duty (★ ★ ★ ★
★, Sundazed). Pinned to country-inflected funk and climactic deep soul,
LaVette, whod been recommended to label boss Lelan Rogers by his brother Kenny,
to whom Bettye had given a copy of her version of Kennys then-band The First
Editions 1968 hit Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In,
blazed and burned on cuts such as My Trains Comin In, the title cut and Love
Made A Fool Of Me. Her version of Piece Of My Heart is the only one to come
close to Erma Franklins own take, turning frustration and hurt into flirtation,
temptation and a dare.
:: TRACKLIST ::

1. My Trains Comin In (02:17)
2. Do Your Duty (02:43)
3. Love Made a Fool of Me (02:29)
4. At the Mercy of a Man (02:25)
5. Piece of My Heart (02:15)
6. Easier to Say Than Do (03:05)
7. He Made a Woman Out of Me (02:32)
8. Nearer to You (03:09)
9. We Got to Slip Around (03:00)
10. Im in Love (03:11)
11. Games People Play (03:24)

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