When Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who were among the honorees to be feted by the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008, a number of musicians graced the stage to pay them tribute including Joss Stone, Dave Grohl and Rob Thomas. But it was soul singer Bettye LaVette who stole the show with her version of the ‘Quadrophenia’ track “Love Reign O’er Me”.
Eighteen months later, Lavette’s stirring and incredibly moving interpretation of that Who classic has finally been released as a bonus track on her new cd “Interpretations – The British Rock Songbook”. On this album Lavette just doesn’t simply cover songs by Led Zeppelin (“All My Love”), Pink Floyd (“Wish You Were Here”) and The Beatles (“The Word”) among others–she re-invents them, making an album of covers sound like fresh originals. But it’s The Who number that is the highlight. And it may sound like a cliché, but Lavette is one of a rare breed of singers who could sing the phone book and make you stand up and take notice. She’s that good.
Below is a video of her Kennedy Center performance. You can also listen to the entire album for free here although this link may not be up for long.
Filed under: Song of The Day Tagged: | Bettye Lavette, Led Zeppelin, Pete Townshend, Pink Floyd, Roger Daltrey, The Beatles, The Who
I remember watching Ms. Lavette on the Kennedy Honors that night and feeling spellbound by her delivery..her grace and soul. It was absolute pure magic. I had no idea about “Interpretations.” Thanks so much for posting this!!
Thanks for the comments Doreen. If you haven’t already heard them, you should also check out her last couple of discs, 2005′s “I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise” and 2007′s “The Scene of the Crime.” And if you’re in Toronto June 29th, she’ll be performing at Nathan Phillips Square as part of the Jazz Fest.