Heartbreaking Side from Betty Wright

Betty Wright “Girls Can’t Do What The Guys Do” (Alston, 1968)

This track can be found on the “Singles Mixer Vol. 2” podcast.

For today’s record and this creeping winter I thought we’d head a little south and check out some of the FL based Alston label’s offerings in the shape of Betty Wright’s 1968 debut for Alston.   This single was one of if not the first in Alston’s distribution deal with Atlantic records and (rightfully) put Betty in the public’s eye a few years before her gigantic hit “Clean Up Woman.”

Co-written by man-of-a-thousand-wrestling-masks Clarence Reid (who later morphed into Blowfly) the song is nothing short of blunt trauma, opening with the beyonce sampled horns, you can actually feel the let down and sadness in the song from the outset.  Wright’s voice, which has extreme weight despite actually missing that deep guttural quality that so often female vocalists draw on for strength and power, leaves you gasping for air as she delivers her plaintive plea for women to not lose their self respect by emulating the men they so love.

The verses being delivered in an almost spoken fashion with sparing back ups and an absolutely sublime (and understated) electric piano make the build up to the soaring chorus that much more climactic, almost on the border of panic.

Betty’s work is pretty well known but it’s worth mentioning that though I’m featuring the A side here the flip to this record is actually quite a serious piece of work too “Sweet Loving Daddy” brimming with Stax styled horn driven hard soul showcases Betty commanding the microphone is a totally different and equally convincing style comparable to the work of Etta James.  Probably just a reflection of where I blog from; I spin ‘Sweet Loving Daddy’ regularly, but sitting at home and drinking tea maybe tilts the scales toward the deep soul side this time around.

Get to clicking and enjoy some sweet Florida soul!