| A Woman Like Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 21, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Southern soul [1] | |||
| Length | 58:44 | |||
| Label | Blues Express | |||
| Producer | Bettye LaVette, Alan Mirikitani, Dennis Walker | |||
| Bettye LaVette chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Woman Like Me is a studio album by American singer Bettye LaVette, released on January 21, 2003, by Blues Express. [2] It was her first U.S. release in 20 years and was recorded by LaVette with producer and songwriter Dennis Walker. [3]
Allmusic's Hal Horowitz gave A Woman Like Me four out of five stars and called it "a powerful album — moving, intense, and honest". He found Dennis Walker's "heart-tugging yet defiant material" suited for LaVette, whose performance he compared to "Otis Redding at his most impassioned", and felt that her matured voice adds emotional depth. [3] Q magazine gave it three stars and credited LaVette for "knocking the bejesus out of" the songs on a "tough-talking, bluesy" album. [4] In its three-star review, Mojo found its stories of "broken hearts and promises" similar to Tennessee Williams and wrote that LaVette's vocals "remain remarkably untarnished by age". [5] NPR called it as "the finest comeback set in recent memory." [6]
Living Blues felt that A Woman Like Me will rank as one of the year's best albums. [7] Jon Pareles of The New York Times called it "pure Southern soul" and said that "Lavette shows every scar and every wily survivor's instinct in her leathery voice." [1] Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice , gave the album an "A" and said that, although "mad genius" Dennis Walker "crafts a batch of long-suffering miniatures that make the record", LaVette "makes the songs—though she's gritty and loves to testify, she never overdoes it. What's more, she's got the psychological equilibrium to find optimistic material she can put across just as passionately." [8]
Credits adapted from Allmusic. [9]
Strong Persuader is the fifth studio album by American blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray. It was recorded by Cray at the Los Angeles studios Sage & Sound and Haywood's with producers Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker, before being released on November 17, 1986, by Mercury Records and Hightone Records. Strong Persuader became his mainstream breakthrough and by 1995 it had sold over two million copies. The record was later ranked #42 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 80's.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, released in 1988, is American blues musician Robert Cray's follow-up to Strong Persuader. It was unable to match the mainstream success of Strong Persuader, peaking at number 32 on the Billboard 200 and staying on the chart for 60 weeks.
Rejuvenation is the fifth studio album by the New Orleans funk group The Meters. It was released in 1974. In 2003, the album was ranked number 138 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and 139 in a 2012 revised list.
Doyle Bramhall II is an American musician, producer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.
Trouble in Paradise is the seventh album by American composer Randy Newman. It spawned local anthem "I Love L.A.", and minor hit, "The Blues," a duet with Paul Simon.
Bettye LaVette is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise was released to widespread critical acclaim, and was named on many critics' "Best of 2005" lists. Her next album, The Scene of the Crime, debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
Happy Hour is an album by Ted Hawkins. It was released in 1986.
Down to Earth is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released on November 16, 1966 on the Tamla (Motown) label. The album was a departure from Wonder's earlier, teen pop-driven albums, and, along with its predecessor, Up-Tight, it re-established the sixteen-year-old Wonder, whose voice had recently changed, as a Motown hitmaker.
"Real Real Gone" is a hit single written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1990 album Enlightenment. It has remained a popular live performance tune and Morrison has included it on the set lists at many of his concerts since releasing it.
The Scene of the Crime is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Bettye LaVette, released in the United States on September 25, 2007 on the label ANTI-. It is a collaboration with Drive-By Truckers as backing band, Spooner Oldham on piano, and other studio musicians. The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
Train Home is an album by American singer/songwriter Chris Smither, released in 2003. Guest Bonnie Raitt provides slide guitar and backup vocals on "Desolation Row".
Drive You Home Again is an album by American singer/songwriter Chris Smither, released in 1999.
It's Not Love is the fifteenth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1972. It reached number one on the Billboard country albums chart. The lead off single was "It's Not Love " which also reached No. 1 on the charts.
Right On is the tenth studio album release by R&B and soul singer Wilson Pickett released in 1970. Hit covers of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and The Archies' "Sugar Sugar", as well as the Pickett original "She Said Yes" came from these sessions. The album, however, had dismal sales, staying in the bottom parts of the Billboard 200.
Blues Summit is the thirty-third studio album by B.B. King released in 1993 through the MCA label. The album reached peak positions of number 182 on the Billboard 200, and number 64 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The album won a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Traditional Blues Album.
"Been Down So Long" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears as the third song on L.A. Woman, the last studio album that lead singer Jim Morrison recorded with the group. It has been called, notably by critic Robert Christgau, as a "take-off" on the album.
Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook is a studio album by soul musician Bettye LaVette, which covers songs by British rock legends such as The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and more. The album was released in 2010 under ANTI- Records. On June 21, 2010, it charted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard's Top Blues Albums, where it was in the charts for 39 weeks.
"Let Me Down Easy" is a song that was first recorded in 1965 by American soul singer Bettye LaVette. It was written by Dee Dee Ford, who copyrighted in 1965 under her married name, Wrecia Holloway. The original recording by LaVette, released as a single by Calla Records, peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart.
Worthy is a studio album from Bettye LaVette. Red Cherry Records released the album on January 27, 2015. She worked with Joe Henry, in the production of this album. The album was nominated for Best Blues Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Who's Been Talkin' is the first album by the Robert Cray Band, released in 1980. It received little initial notice due to Tomato Records' bankruptcy. It has been rereleased a couple of times, including under the title Too Many Cooks.
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