When soulful slayer Bettye LaVette sings a song, it stays sung. Born in Muskegon, Michigan, in 1946 and raised in Detroit, she was only 16 when she cut her first single, “My Man—He’s a Lovin’ Man”, which became a big hit. She made dozens more throughout the ’60s and ’70s without equalling that success and didn’t release an album until 1982’s Tell Me a Lie. After years of slogging away with only minor hits, LaVette began a comeback with her 2003 album A Woman Like Me that blossomed with 2007’s The Scene of the Crime, the first in a string of high-profile releases for alt-rock label ANTI-. She tackled tunes by classic rockers with the dramatic heft of a Shakespearean actor, enhanced by the maturity of her pipes. Ever since, she’s been rightfully recognised as one of America’s most potent soul singers.