Bettye LaVette: "Tell Me A Lie"

Found this rarity at a place called Jelly’s for two bucks, deep in a batch of unmarked record stacks strewn about the floor.  LaVette has gained a great deal of notoriety in hipster soul circles recently, after recording two albums with the Drive-By Truckers that may well be her defining moments as an artist, late in the game considering she’s been on the scene for almost fifty years.  This album was done as a one-off for Motown in 1982, yet it sounds nothing like that classic label’s other output, trading instead on slightly updated Southern soul grooves more reminiscent of the Stax and Fame labels than anything recorded by Berry Gordy, Norman Whitfield, etc.  The date of this session makes it even more of an anomaly, as the deep Southern sound of singers like Otis Redding and Candi Staton was long gone from the popular consciousness by this time, which itself was more focused on the new wave synth effects that seemed to be dominating every genre of the era.  You can hear small pieces here and there of the ‘80’s on this LP, but in general it harkens back to an older vibe, with LaVette’s voice achieving a completely different balance than on her newer sides, where her throat cracks and breaks in desperation.  Here she sounds younger and more full of verve, heartbroken but optimistic about future possibilities.  The best tracks are the ones that strike a perfect medium between the smooth ‘80’s production and the primacy of older soul vocals and songwriting, including the excellent title track, the shimmering “Right In The Middle (Of Falling In Love),” and the slow-burning slither of “Either Way We Lose.”  There is one track that attempts a sort of ‘80’s funk crossover—“I Can’t Stop”—yet it falls somewhat flat, coming across as a cut-rate Emotions knockoff (the groove is VERY similar to their mega-hit “The Best Of My Love”).  Altogether though, this is quite an interesting record, certainly out of its time but good enough to warrant repeated listens, as well as a fair amount of historical curiosity.