Description
Soul queen Bettye LaVette, her pipes intact at 72, brings a slinky ferocity to her Dylan covers album that, together with arrangements from an ace studio team, transforms its dozen songs. She brings vehemence to the world-weary title track, and turns ‘Mama, You Been On My Mind’ from mournful folk into a sensual rap, and stalks spookily through ‘Ain’t Talkin’’. Most startling is ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’’, alchemised from Oakie singalong to menacing blues. “He’s always angry about something, and when black women get angry they cuss,” says LaVette, an intense, mesmerising presence throughout.
