Description
Bettye Lavette – Things Have Changed – Double Vinyl Records
Few singers in soul music have the kind of life experience that Bettye LaVette brings to a recording. By the time she released Things Have Changed in 2018, she had spent decades navigating the music industry, building a reputation as one of the most emotionally powerful interpreters of songs in modern soul and blues. Rather than focusing on original material, this album takes a unique approach by reimagining the songwriting of Bob Dylan, transforming his lyrics through LaVette’s deeply expressive vocal style.
The result is less a tribute album and more a reinterpretation of Dylan’s work through the lens of soul, blues, and gospel. Songs that originally lived in folk and rock settings are reshaped into slow-burning, emotionally rich performances. The arrangements rely on warm organ tones, understated guitar lines, and rhythm sections that leave plenty of space for LaVette’s voice to take center stage.
What makes the album particularly compelling is the way LaVette inhabits Dylan’s lyrics. Her voice carries a lived-in quality—weathered, soulful, and filled with nuance. Rather than delivering the words as straightforward covers, she transforms them into something deeply personal. Lines that once felt poetic or abstract in Dylan’s recordings take on a raw emotional clarity when filtered through her voice.
Tracks like the title song, “Things Have Changed,” become almost entirely new experiences in this setting. The music slows the pace and emphasizes mood, allowing each lyric to land with weight. Throughout the album, LaVette’s delivery moves effortlessly between quiet vulnerability and moments of powerful intensity, demonstrating why she has long been regarded as one of the great interpreters of song.
The musicianship supporting her is intentionally restrained. Instead of flashy arrangements, the band creates a subtle backdrop that highlights the emotional core of each performance. The production feels intimate and organic, reinforcing the album’s focus on storytelling and atmosphere.
Things Have Changed ultimately stands as a powerful example of how great songs can take on new life through a different voice. By bringing Bob Dylan’s writing into a soulful, blues-inflected setting, Bettye LaVette reveals new layers of meaning in the material while showcasing the depth and authenticity that have defined her remarkable career.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Things Have Changed
It Ain’t Me Babe
Political World
Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight
Seeing The Real You At Last
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Ain’t Talkin’
The Times They Are A Changin’
What Was It You Wanted
Emotionally Yours
Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
Going, Going, Gone
