artist info

There's a space in American music where country meets soul, where elements of blues, folk, pop, jazz, gospel and R&B melt in seamless alchemy, where genre boundaries are ultimately forgotten. Ms. LaVette is one of the greatest soul singers in American music history, possessed of an incredibly expressive voice that one moment will exude a formidable level of strength and intensity and the next will appear vulnerable, reflective, reeking of heartbreak.

Bettye LaVette is starting 2015 with a big bang. The inimitable and legendary R&B songstress released a new album, Worthy (2/27/15), and on a new label — Cherry Red. Worthy reunites her with GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter and producer Joe Henry, this time with both of them co-producing. On Worthy, Bettye revisits Dylan with the opening track “Unbelievable,” with a funky urgency introduced into the song, not present in the original. On “When I Was a Young Girl,” she slides effortlessly into a slinky groove, which Chris Youlden of Savoy Brown probably never imagined. “Bless Us All” is as relevant now as when Mickey Newbury wrote it decades ago, while her rendition of Joe Henry’s own “Stop” is jazzy, soulful and reminds one not to dare try to stop her.

Worthy is comprised of a special selection of songs making for an extremely reflective, visceral, yet at the same time, vulnerable album. “Where a Life Goes” is a conversation between Bettye and her deceased sister. When she sings the Lennon/McCartney track “Wait” and the title track “Worthy,” Bettye is at her most insightful and satisfied. Perhaps, the most heart-wrenching tunes of the lot may be “Undamned” filled with quiet desperation, and “Just Between You and Me and the Wall You’re a Fool,” on which she wears her tattered and battered heart on her sleeve.

“Bettye LaVette now rivals Aretha Franklin as this generation’s most vital soul singer .”

- The New York Times

At the heart of the Bettye LaVette story, whether sung as a song or narrated in a book, is the notion of creative survival. It is her voice that both announces and ensures that survival; it is her voice that, no matter how dire the circumstances, lets you know that she will not be denied. It is her voice that compels you to listen to every word she says, sings or writes. That voice - rough, tender, sensuous and soaring - is an instrument of inspiration.

"Like all voices," says Bettye, "mine has changed over the years. I'd like to think that the change has to do with wisdom. I'm far more selective about what songs I'll sing. If I can't re-sculpt them and, in many instances actually reinvent them to be part of my story, I can't make them come to life."

Tess Henley is an American soul singer-songwriter and pianist from Seattle. Grammy-winning producer Don Was calls her voice a “true gift.” Henley honed her live performance by opening for folks like Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton, while continuing to build her profile as a songwriter. She successfully displayed those skills during her first national television performance on Jimmy Kimmel live this February where she perfomed a pair of songs from her EP, Wonderland.