Customer Reviews

Bettye Swann

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When you hear this recording for the first time you will be absolutely astonished that you have not heard it before. To make up for lost time you will then play it constantly. While Bettye has a beautiful voice and the songs are almost all killer, what really astonishes are the production values. The horns slink in and out and the atmosphere is conducive to dark romance. Go ahead and double this up with the Candy Staton, grab your honey and hold on tight. You can thank me later.

I heard the 2nd track ("My heart is closed for the season") on our local public radio station, KCRW, and ran out and bought the CD. It's that good. You won't be disappointed - this is amazing soul music in the Aretha, Dusty Springfield, Gladys Knight vein from the late 60s. Bettye makes each song her own.

In the great musical sixties this great and wonderfully soulful singer hit big with "Make Me Yours" and continued making great recordings as witnessed in this stellar collection of her Capitol Records output which must not have been properly promoted as this is a prime example of the best from that era and really holds up and sounds great today having a timeless classic quailty...amazing this tremendous collection of varied and masterful performances missed making Bettye Swann a household name as she makes all these great songs her own! Anyone who loves a superb singer in a magnificent collection of songs all brilliantly arranged will find this tour-de-force set of winners a must have...thank you Bettye Swann for this amazing musical treasure chest that is full and rich and a joy to experience over and over!!!

Long before Whitney Houston recorded Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" Bettye Swann was recording songs like "Today I Started Loving You Again" and "Sweet Dreams" bluring the lines between Nashville country and Memphis soul.

This album is highly recommended!

I have never listened to Bettye Swann sing a song that I didn't think was better than, or at least as good as, any other interpretation of that song or genre in existence. It sounds too good to be true, but man, don't let it pass you by. You'll be in on the secret if you pick up this truly life-changing Astralwerks release. No, seriously though. She's unbelievable. My favorite songs are "I'm Lonely for You," "Willie and Laura Mae," and "Stand By Your Man," although it's a tough call since they are all so incredible that it will blow your mind. Yes, mind-blowing; that's Bettye!

I have to say that Bettye Swann is probably my favorite female Soul singer of all time; the only one who comes close is Mavis Staples. Bettye not only has a superb voice, she also wrote a lot of her songs -and she was a great song writer! The fact that she was a writer puts her above a lot of other female Soul singers of the time.
Her voice isn't really over powering; it is a lot closer to Carla Thomas or Gladys Knight than Aretha Franklin but it is immediately attention grabbing. She was special.
I highly recommend this with her Complete Money recordings. You really need both to appreciate her fully.

I first heard Betty do "Don't Touch Me" on an old LP copulation. I then knew I had to get a CD by her. She does all the tracks on this cd in a sexy KITTENISH voice! I wish I knew what hapenned to her!

I bought this item based on the other excellent reviews here and my own craving for relatively obscure music. I must say that I do play this CD constantly and I've made multiple copies in the event that the original wears out! Bettye is absolutely amazing; I wish there were even more of her available on CD. I now also own her Money Recordings which are also absolutely worthwhile. It is a crime that Bettye wasn't more widely recognized and has now vanished into obscurity. A singer with such grace, power, and sensitivity should never herself have gone "unsung". Reviewers elsewhere have called her "low-key", I suppose because while one cannot deny her soulfulness, she sings with an economy that nonetheless carries great emotion. Witness her performance on "Closed for the Season" or "Little Things": Bettye can belt it, but she doesn't need to because her voice is so exquisitely expressive otherwise. In sum, I cannot sing the praises of this CD highly enough. I can listen to it all the way through and enjoy every track. With all of the decidedly soul-less music out there today, Bettye is truly a revelation from yesterday.