Three singles into her reinvention as a sixties-style soul diva, Betty Black nails it yet again, with ‘Lonely Man’ – a slice of original material to follow funky, sultry Bond-theme type cover Cry Me A River and a slightly more recent uptempo soul stomper take on The Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams. Another uptempo banger, this one opens with Latin-esque percussion (courtesy of someone you might have heard of – one Snowboy by name) and then suddenly we’re in full mod-soul anthem territory – all antsy flutes, horn stabs and manic drum fills while our Betty’s voice soars effortlessly over the top. Unlike the previous two singles, this one’s billed under just Black’s own name though whether that’s because she isn’t backed by the full line-up of The Family Fortune on here or another reason isn’t clear. Still – whatever next – an album perhaps?
(Out now on Skyline Recordings)
