Bettye LaVette’s first record in many years, I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, introduced her to many Triple A radio listeners in 2005 — though she had been making music for decades. Her pained, churning vocals took us through some brilliantly reinvented covers, from Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow” to Fiona Apple’s “Sleep to Dream.” She takes a different tack on her new release, Scene of the Crime, employing the Drive-By Truckers (complete with new member Spooner Oldham) as her backing band, resulting in a delicious, gritty Muscle Shoals-style sound. Hear samples and the full story in this edition of the Songlines podcast.

 

 Bettye LaVette podcast [5:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (157)

Bettye recently turned 61, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her.