When I heard that Betty Wright was recording an album with The Roots, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, The Roots are one of only a couple of prominent current R & B/rap/funk aggregations who could possibly engage with Betty in a productive way. Also, their name would draw attention to the project, be a media focus, and help get the release into stores. On the other hand, these kinds of cross-generational collaborations often go off the rails; either the younger generation is too deferential and distanced from the older artist's music to deliver something vibrant or else they plug the veteran artist into a contemporary style that isn't really appropriate. And, for that matter, while The Roots are solid enough as a band--and their current stint as house band for Jimmy Kimmel has only broadened their palette-- I can't say they ever really impressed me with their musicianship.
Betty Wright, though, is no shrinking violet. She is one of a dwindling number of real Southern R & B artists still in command of her considerable powers. Even though her first charting record was over forty years ago, she was only 15 when she recorded it....so in 2011 she is still vocally in her prime. Her 1971 "Clean Up Woman" classic has been sampled and borrowed on a number of hip hop/contemporary R & B hits, as have a number of her other recordings. She never had a spectacular voice but it has always been strong, rich, vibrant and she always put a song across with in-the-pocket phrasing. When she sings, you believe her--it is from the heart and full of wisdom. Also, she was an artist who "rapped"--in the old, pre-hip-hop sense of the term-- like Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson and Bobby Womack, delivering down-home philosophy and social commentary, as on her celebrated intro to her 1978 hit "Tonight Is The Night, an extended live version of a minor hit she recorded three years earlier. She also is a songwriter. After a ten year run of hits on various labels owned by Florida impressario Henry Stone, she started her own label, Ms. B Records, and had some hits writing, producing, and releasing her own material, most notably "No Pain No Gain" in 1988. Even if she didn't always have national hits, she sold well in the South. By the 90's even the regional hits were drying up (despite the release of her "U-R-A-Ho(And You Don't Know)"!....but she was active as a writer, producer, background singer and performer. She kept current, never simply content to trade on past glories....as a result she was tapped to mentor UK teen wanna-be soul chanteuse Joss Stone, producing, coaching, arranging and otherwise contributing to Stone's best-selling debut. People in the business with any kind of knowledge know that Betty Wright is a triple threat talent and a force to be reckoned with--an undervalued asset to be sure!
So, I ordered the new album, entitled "Betty Wright: The Movie", suggesting that it is a "more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts" concept album, produced by Betty and Questlove of The Roots. When it arrived in my mailbox, I rushed to put it on while cruising around doing weekend errands. The opening track sounded ok but simply is not a great song; called "Old Songs", it is one of thse songs about music that only occasionally are special (cf "Sweet Soul Music" by Arthur Conley or "It Will Stand" by The Showmen). The second cut had a classic Betty Wright vibe over a hip-hoppish funk groove...promising! But somehow the results are less than the sum of the parts, it doesn't quite jell. Nonetheless I was glad that the production approach was to preserve the essence of Betty's style and just give it a bit of contemporary gloss. Track #3 "In The Middle Of The Game(Don't Change The Play") was more promising...classic 70's R & B vibes and the guitarist has his Little Beaver licks down. But the song is just fair and I began to think the album was going to fall into the "nice try" category.
Track #4, "Surrender" changed my mind. It's a classic soul ballad, with only the slightest updating; sounds like a hit; paydirt! Track #5 "Grapes On A Vibe", is a great mid-tempo bit of philosophizing, marred only by an completely unnecessary Li'l Wayne rap, which isn't terrible but just sounds kind of weak compared to the quality of Betty's singing and songwriting and the groove. But the song is so strong that Li'l Wayne is a minor distraction, as is the Ernie Isley-style guitar workout running through much of the song.
From that point on, the album just flows, prime, classic Southern R & B , ranging from highly enjoyable to great, with quite distinctive songwriting. "Hollywounded" is gritty message ballad about a young woman scuffling as she navigates the Fast Lane life and tries to keep things together for her children. "Whisper In The Wind" (how often do you hear a title as evocative as that on today's R & B/hip-hop scene?) is a real nice mid-tempo groove, graced by the lines "is that all our love has been...just a whisper in the wind?" Now there's some lyrics, people! Ex-Tower Of Power vocalist Lenny Williams appears with pleasant results, Joss Stone inoffensively graces another track, Robert "The Messenger" Bozeman actually lays down a much better rap than Li'l Wayne's effort on "Hollywounded" and Snoop Dogg manifests pleasantly enough Track Two. But the tangential efffect of the guests is due to the power and expressiveness of Betty's singing; she really didn't need any guests. And The Roots? Various Roots band members and associates (James Poyser), paly just fine but they are simply some of the roster of session players....and their biggest contribution is that of their brand, a blessing on the project, along with Questlove's contribution of co-producer (whatever that may be....Betty, who has been producing herself as well as others for a long time, really didn't need a producer). The final two tracks are labeled "bonus tracks" (not sure why....when CD's first came in they often had more tracks than the LP or cassette, to justify a higher price--hence the trend of "bonus tracks" but these days the term holds little meaning. But in any case, the two bonus tracks on offer here are strong. "You And Me, Leroy" really feels like a Curtis Mayfield ballad; it has that lightness and lyrical feel that Curtis brought to his compositions. The final track is a live recording of a song called "Go!"; Betty introduces it with a monologue and a straightforward declaration: "this is a song about abuse!" It is a typically unvarnished, to-the-bone look at abusive relationships. Betty's message: "get the hell out of it as soon as possible..."
"Betty Wright: The Movie" doesn't seem to have any programmatic agenda, as far as I can see. It is just a collection of really good, sometimes great music, unselfconcious soul music delivered by one of the masters of the genre, looking neither backward nor too far forward.It may start a little slow but it has far more music quality music on it than most contemporary releases. It is the Betty Wright you know and love! And thank God for that...it has been too long since Betty delivered a musical feast!