A fantastic live album from the great Betty Wright – and one of the few recorded documents of the way that classic soul singers would evolve the nature of their songs in a concert setting! Betty's recording for Alston/TK here, but the mode she uses is one that would grace countless performances to come from lots of her southern soul contemporaries, including many who would end up recording for Malaco in the 80s – this warmly personal, all-entertainment approach that really heightens the spirit of the singer way past their familiar songs and lyrics. Betty does some great monologue bits on the album – the most famous of which is on her 8 minute take of "Tonight Is The Night" – hugely superior to the studio version. There's also a great "Clean Up Woman Medley", in which betty sings that song and mixes it with bits of other 70s songs over the course of 11 minutes – showing that she's the one and only clean up woman! Other tracks include "Where Is The Love", "You Can't See For Lookin", "Lovin Is Really My Game", and "A Song For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Betty's got a smoother sound here than on some of her chunkier, funkier earlier records – but the approach is still a nice one – and we've gotta give Betty credit for pushing her sound into a whole new direction! The album follows nicely in the spirit of the live set issued a few years before – with some nice mellower moments, and a few more tracks that kick up the groove in a clubby approach to southern soul. We really like the spare "You're Just What I Need" and the bluesy "My Love Is" or the midtempo groove of "I Believe It's Love" – and other tracks include "The Child Of The Man", "Open The Door To Your Heart/Love Train", and "Thank You For The Many Things You've Done". LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Wright explodes with soul on this sweet 70s classic – really stretching out past the simpler grooves of her roots, and showing the world she's got more than enough talent to be one of the standout soul divas of her generation! The record's also a great illustration of the way that Miami soul was growing up at the time, too – and sparkles with Willie Clarke production that help balance some of the new smoother modes with Betty's core down-home energy – captured perfectly here with a quality that makes the record southern enough to appeal to longtime fans, yet hip enough to get plenty of play up north too. Vocals get nice and complicated at times, almost jazzy with a Rufus/Chaka touch – and titles include "Do Right Girl", "I Think I'd Better Think About It", "Smother Me With Love", "Open The Door To Your Heart", "Life", "If I Ever Do Wrong", and "Don't Forget To Say I Love You Today". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from one of the hippest cats of the postwar years – including tracks recorded under his own name, plus Wynonie Harris vocals on recordings by Oscar Pettiford, Johnnie Alston, Todd Rhodes, and Lucky Millinder! Titles include "I Gotta Lyin Woman", "Playful Baby", "Rebecca's Blues", "Lollipop Mama", "Night Train", "Do It Again Please", "Married Women Stay Married", and "Good Mambo Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal moment in the development of southern soul – as the album was one of the first really big hits to come out of the growing Malaco scene in Jackson, Mississippi. The style of the record is a mix of older female southern soul styles, plus some of the warmer mellow production that was coming out of the Alston/Miami scene at the same time. And although Malaco mostly moved into cheesy blues during the early 80s, this one's very much in a popular crossover soul style. Features the title hit "Misty Blue", plus "It's So Good", "Too Much Love", "Ain't That A Mother's Luck", "Enough Woman Left (To Be Your Lady)", and "The Only Time You Ever Say You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album