Better Than Home (Deluxe Version)

Editors’ Notes The kickass-voiced Beth Hart sounds like a modern-day Bonnie Bramlett, delivering gritty soul-gospel (like on “Might as Well Smile” and “Trouble”), and then pulling back to reveal a jazzy side (“As Long as I Have a Song”) and turn up the blues (“The Mood That I’m In”). And the music rips, purrs, and rattles in equal measure. Like any great soul singer, Hart can bring sadness, too, which she does on the title song and “St. Theresa.” This California-born singer/songwriter has been making soulful albums for 20 years now, and it shows. She’s at the top of her game.