Bettye LaVette - Thankful n' Thoughtful [Deluxe Edition] (2012/2013) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

R&B Legend Bettye LaVette is set to mark her 50th anniversary in the music world with the upcoming release of her mesmerizing album, 'Thinking N' Thoughtful'.

Produced by Craig Street (Norah Jones, Joe Henry, k. d. lang, Meshell Ndegeocello, John Legend, Charlie Sexton, etc.), TN’T is a selection of contemporary tracks written and previously recorded by Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Patty Griffin, Gnarls Barkley and others, which BETTYE consumes whole, rearranges deep within her soul and exorcises as her own through her voice filled with longing, rage, desire, despair, survival and victory. BETTYE’s voice—rough, tender, sensuous–is her instrument of inspiration and her dynamic power seethes throughout each song, wringing out the pathos, sharing her hard earned wisdom and story throughout these tales of her reinvention.

Thankful N’ Thoughtful opens with the funk injected Bob Dylan cut “Everything Is Broken” and when Bettye moans and howls the title refrain you have no doubt as to the trouble she’s seen. The entire album turned out to be a companion piece to her autobiography as while she was writing the book, she was also recording the songs on TN’T. On Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” she slows it down just a tad, then wrings every drop of sweat and blood from each and every syllable till your spine tingles, with “Dirty Old Town” (The Pogues / Rod Stewart), Bettye reworks the lyrical setting to Detroit—singing about her first love at Northern High and the Detroit race riots. Meanwhile, when she takes on The Black Keys’ “I’m Not The One,” the sensual grit of the song sizzles with her all-knowing rasp. “I’m Not the One” is now available at all digital outlets and the video from the Rolling Stone website can be seen below.

'Ms. LaVette’s bruised, caustic, adamant voice plunges into every line, coming through the songs as an unflinching survivor.' (New York Times)

Tracklist:
01. Everything Is Broken
02. I'm Not The One
03. Dirty Old Town
04. The More I Search (The More I Die)
05. I'm Tired
06. Crazy
07. Yesterday Is Here
08. Thankful N' Thoughtful
09. Fair Enough
10. Time Will Do The Talking
11. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
12. Dirty Old Town (Slow Version)
13. Old
14. Welcome To The Good Times
15. Whole Lotta Lonely

Personnel:
Bettye LaVette, vocals
Chris Bruce, guitar
Jonathan Wilson, guitar & banjo
Jennifer Condos, bass
JJ Johnson, drums & percussion
Glenn Patscha, piano, keyboards, vocals (on 'Crazy')
Doug Wieselman, reeds (on 'Yesterday Is Here')
Steven Bernstein, brass (on 'Yesterday Is Here')