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Scene of the Crime | 
 enlarge | Artist: Bettye Lavette
Label: Anti
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 1199
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 86873
UPC: 045778687329
EAN: 0045778687329
ASIN: B000UGG3D2
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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| Tracks:
| • | Take Me Like I Am (Still Want To Be Your Baby) | | • | Choices | | • | Jealousy | | • | You Don't Know Me At All | | • | Somebody Pick Up My Pieces | | • | They Call It Love | | • | Last Time | | • | Talking Old Soldiers | | • | Before The Money Came (Battle Of Baeetye LaVette) | | • | I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That Now |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
"I've got my mem-mor-eehees," sings Bettye LaVette at the chilling finale of her version of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's obscure "Talking Old Soldiers," holding the last syllable as it fades into a hum while Spooner Oldham's ghostly piano underpins the pain. The singer's whiskey-stained voice infuses those words with a fierce mix of pride, hurt, resignation, sadness, strength, and humility--traits that make her one of the finest R&B singers of her generation. There are other riveting moments rivaling that from this deeply moving set that finds her recording once again at Muscle Shoals' FAME Studios, the same place she created an album in 1972 that Atlantic inexplicably never released. Accompanied by Oldham and the swampy, tightly wound Drive-by Truckers, LaVette digs into material from John Hiatt, Willie Nelson, Frankie Miller, Eddie Hinton, and Don Henley, among others, finding the hidden soul in songs as she rips them apart from the inside out. It's a magnificent performance from a singer who shoots straight, especially on her autobiographical "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)," this disc's sole original. The Truckers dial down their raunchy Southern rock, concentrating instead on rugged R&B and creating a greasy collaboration that's as inspired as it is unlikely. Lavette grinds out the intensity, alternating between ballads and roots rockers on a set that never lets up for 40 passionate minutes. Soul music just doesn't get any more fiery, as Bettye Lavette creates indelible images of loves and lives with the voice of one who has walked the talk. --Hal Horowitz More from Bettye LaVette 
I've Got My Own Hell to Raise | 
A Woman Like Me | 
Take Another Little Piece of My Heart | 
Let Me Down Easy | 
The Very Best of the Motorcity Recordings | 
Do Your Duty |
Product Description
Her 2005 acclaimed release, "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise", brought well-deserved recognition to this R&B maverick who's been recording since the early 60s. Now comes the almost autobiographical "Scene Of The Crime". To make music this raw and direct, Bettye enlisted "dirty south" rockers The Drive By Truckers as her backup band. With swampy guitars, slippery Wurlitzer piano, and a driving backline, this record conjures up the spirit of great loose 70s bands like the Faces while offering Bettye an urgent, vital setting for her razor-sharp vocals. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, where she recorded "Child Of The Seventies" in 1972 - a masterpiece that was shelved then released 30 years later. Returning to Muscle Shoals was like returning to the scene of a crime; thus the album title, and the intense, personal music within.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
amazing woman September 30, 2008
Finally Bettye has got a album out there for the world to enjoy .So overdue . Her voice is rich and soulful, bluesy. It has been a long time coming and she deserves so much more .This DISC is a must for anyone who enjoys music in the blues or soul style . It is incredibly recorded which makes it a must for any collector .Her voice is so Strong and the band is tight and rich as well .Drive -by Truckers good work !The more you hear it the more you will fall in Love with Bettye
This is Rhythm and Blues Country July 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Whether you want to call this neo-soul or just straight ahead R&B, Bettye comes alive on this disk. Here is the voice of a mature woman in sound and spirit. She can set 'em up and knock 'em down. What is so astounding to me is the brilliant marriage of the Drive By Truckers with this independent lady. These are songs that can stand alone. When you start to worry that the creative well has run dry, put this CD on for a spin. It is a joy to listen to these well-produced and heartfelt songs. The country influences mix so well with Betye' voice and style. These songs are clean and bare enough to cut through any BS reviews.
I've lent the CD to a friend for an opening of his coffee house. So, I will save any song breakdowns for another time. Suffice to say that this is an exceptional collection of songs by a hopeful and accomplished singer with a tight and swingin' band. Here is the career maker album that has always alluded Bettye until now. What a joy to hear! This one stays in the CD changer.
 Raw and gritty : her voice comes from so deep. July 10, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Though Bettye LaVette began her career 40 years ago, it never took off as it should, despite her being the only artist to record for Motown and Atlantic.
She didn't get major attention (and touring dates) until three years ago when she was rediscovered by the edgy Anti Records.
The company had the divine idea to match LaVette's vintage vocals to contemporary songs written entirely by smart women, from Joan Armatrading to Sinead O'Connor.
The resulting album I've Got My Own Hell to Raisestruck a perfect balance between historic depth and modern audacity.
Now she returns with "The Scene of the Crime", an almost autobiographical look back at the long hard road she has traveled, and for her more than worthy followup CD, Ms.LaVette covers songs entirely by men (except for one she co-wrote). Yet it gains a juicier theme, and backstory, from the place it was recorded in: Muscle Shoals Studio.
Her voice has matured to a crackling growl, rich in colour and fierce emotion. It's particularly effective on a heartrending cover of Elton John's "Talking Old Soldiers", and on the country lament "Choices".
Not all her song selections are this astute: much as the self-righteous, take-me-as-I-am lyric suits her, it's a road she screeches down too often.
Still, its magnetic moments make you glad she didn't just give up and get a day job.
She teams up with latter-day country-funk combo Drive-By Truckers, whose leader Patterson Hood is the son of the great Muscle Shoals sideman David Hood. The Truckers put LaVette in just the right stripped and sinewy setting. Hard guitars, dark bass and striking drums surround her.
Her vocals come from so deep in the gut. Yet Ms.LaVette's rip-roaring instrument also remains beauteous to behold.
The album also features Bettye's first songwriting credit, a cowrite with the Truckers' own Patterson Hood titled '"Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)", a hard rocking tune that chronicles her struggles in a pointed, take-no-prisoners style, an autobiographical account of the many obstacles she has faced in her 40-plus years of trying to make it in the music biz.
The album was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a city known for its legendary soul and pop recordings. It is also the town where Bettye recorded a masterpiece titled Child of the Seventiesback in 1972. For some reason, Atlantic Records shelved it. The CD didn't surface until nearly 30 years later - and only in France.
Bettye went back to Muscle Shoals to record this album, it was like returning to the scene of a crime.
This explains the title of the album.
The album highlights: "I Still Want to be Your Baby", '"The Last Time" and "Jealousy".
She does it again - even BETTER! May 9, 2008
After hearing her last effort "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise" I did not think that CD could be outdone. But right here it is. This collaboration is pure magic and puts Ms. LaVette right where she belongs...backed by great musicians with the freedom to be out front, and interperet the songs in her own magnificent style. What the likes of today's so called "singers" could learn here! Bettye, I'm so glad the money came in. You deserve every bit and more.
More of the Same - And That's a Good Thing! May 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"I've Got My Own Hell to Raise" was a fabulous c.d. - one of the best of 2005. After 40 or so years, Bettye LaVette became an overnight sensation. And something this bright, this meteoric, of course begs the question: will the next recording be this good, or even better?
I've now listened to "The Scene of the Crime" about 4 times, and honestly, I don't know. It seems even more personal, even more confessional, than "Hell." I fully agree with Patterson Hood, the author of the terrific liner notes (and practically worth the price of the c.d. alone, for its historic insights): "Talking Old Soldiers" is this c.d.'s tour de force. Nearly that good as well is "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces," and the autobiographical "Before the Money Came" ("The Battle of Bettye LaVette").
But there is not a weak or mediocre track on this c.d. - and of course, not on "Hell," either. They are both terrific. Right now, Ms. LaVette is the "It Girl" of soul. She is on a roll, and can do no wrong. I really look forward to her next c.d. She looks and sounds like the youngest 61-year-old singer around. May her star shine brightly, and may she continue to turn out discs like this, for years to come. RC
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