Betty Wright Live Betty Wright Artist

When {|Betty Wright Live|} was first released in 1978, there was some speculation on whether or not it was really a live album or simply a studio recording with canned applause. To be sure, the applause doesn't sound authentic, and the original LP's ... Read more

When {|Betty Wright Live|} was first released in 1978, there was some speculation on whether or not it was really a live album or simply a studio recording with canned applause. To be sure, the applause doesn't sound authentic, and the original LP's liner notes listed neither a recording date nor a location. But whether it was recorded on stage or in the studio, this album provides much evidence of {|Wright|}'s vitality as a singer. {|Live|} became best known for its version of {|Tonight Is the Night,|} a moving account of a young woman losing her virginity to her first true love. But the gritty Miami soulster is equally expressive on {|Leon Russell|}'s {|A Song for You|} and versions of her hits {|Where Is the Love|} and {|Clean Up Woman|} (which is performed as the main song in an 11-minute medley). Even if the title {|Betty Wright Live|} is an example of false advertising, this is a recording that fans of gritty, emotionally direct {|Southern soul|} would do well to experience. ~ Alex Henderson Less