Pitchfork Forkcast: New Music: Bettye LaVette With Drive-By-Truckers: "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" [MP3/Stream]

New Music: Bettye LaVette With Drive-By-Truckers: "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" [MP3/Stream]

Now's about the time I'd give you a little background on Bettye LaVette, the seen-it-all soul singer who is three years and two albums into a comeback. But she doesn't need my help or anyone else's. A musical autobiography, "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" recounts her childhood growing up poor, her early days in the business ("I was singing r&b back in 62, before you were born, and your momma, too"), her first glimpses of fame ("I knew David Ruffin when he was hopeless/ Sleepin' on my floor before he crossed over"), her dog days ("Record deals kept falling apart/ One with Atlantic nearly broke my heart"), and her recent resurgence. It's a Wikipedia page set to music, and she delivers every note with the gritty self-assurance that only comes with lots of experience. Amping up a dirty Muscle Shoals groove, her backing band-- Drive-By Truckers-- get a few riffs in edgewise but know enough to stand back and let LaVette do her thing.