Tuwa's Shanty and The Roots Canal

Wednesday, November 08, 2006:

Betty Everett -- I Can't Hear You

Betty Everett -- I Can't Hear You
Like a number of R&B singers, Betty Everett grew up in the church and left it for secular music, though she'd return to gospel several times over her career. Unlike a number of R&B singers, Everett can convincingly carry a blues tune and got her start thanks to Magic Sam inviting her onstage to sing at a club. Everett started out on Cobra (where Magic Sam and Otis Rush were); after Cobra closed shop she worked for Carl Jones and then made her way to Vee Jay.

At Vee Jay she cut a version of Clint Ballad Jr.'s "You're No Good" with background vocals from The Dells. The track charted, stopping at #51. Her biggest hit followed shortly after--"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," one of those omnipresent tracks nearly everyone is familiar with even if they don't know its name. She also had hits with "There'll Come a Time" and "Let It Be Me," a duet with Jerry Butler; though she's not a household name, it's hard to equate being a household name with having a solid catalog as a musician.

"I Can't Hear You" is a driving uptempo track with horn stabs and handclaps, Everett's patience lost and her telling a man what's what.

[This track is off The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss), which seems to be out of print. A similar (and similarly regarded) best-of comp with the track is Best of Betty Everett: Let It Be Me.]

Labels: RnB

posted by Tuwa @ 12:43 | permalink |