‘Early contender for 2009’s album of the year. Yes, already’ (Mojo). ‘The sheer soul in her voice is revolutionary’ (NME).**** The Independent, The Times. ‘**** a masterclass in gritty southern soul’ (Daily Mail).

The key recordings of the greatest Southern Soul singer there ever was, with pristine sound, including twelve previously unissued tracks — completely superseding HJ’s own gallant stop-gap.

Terrific Californian soul from 1981.
Sadness In My Samba is a radiant Latinized dancer championed by Gilles.
The inspirational title track, though — sampled by Aaliyah, Digable Planets and the Young Disciples — is a stone classic. So good for you it should be available on the NHS.
180gm vinyl; heavyweight tip-on jacket.

His masterpiece.

A walloping one dozen tonics of close-cropped, spasming, blissed-out boogie abstraction, for dancin and prancin. Zinging pick-me-up blends of forensic, gleeful, sleight-of-hand skills and disco connoisseurship, school of Ron Hardy.
It’s a must.

1965-67 recordings for John Dolphin’s Los Angeles label, including — amongst numerous original compositions by Bettye herself — the classic chart-topper Make Me Yours.

‘10/10 Pop music as it should be: beautiful, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting’, NME; ‘*****’, Mojo.

Wayne Shuler always recorded Bettye with a black audience in mind, and despite the high proportion of country songs these are definitely soul records, though like nothing else from the time. Bettye never sings with the desolation of O.V. Wright, the hurt of Percy Sledge, or the sheer pain of the final Linda Jones records. There’s a southern feel to these Swann-Shuler recordings, but they also have a light, almost poppy quality to them. Sometimes they sound like the missing link between Muscle Shoals and Motown.

The LP here is a worthy reissue by Music On Vinyl of the classic Honest Jon’s compilation, on its twentieth anniversary; the CD is from back in the day.