A Woman Like Me is a most sizzling project, propelled by LaVette's direct language and her no-holds-barred assessment of the ups (and mostly downs) of a long but ultimately great journey in music. Compared to fellow Detroiter Mitch Ryder's overreaching bio from a year ago (which I may still get to), LaVette writes in short, powerful sentences--it's more poetic than Ryder's attempt to come up with profound statements because it gets right to the heart of the matter.
Although gospel music may have contributed to LaVette's gutsy style of singing, she is disdainful of any kind of spiritual life, at least for herself. She reveals an aversion to musical arrangements where an organ plays any kind of major role ("Organs remind me of funerals") and says straight-out in the opening chapter that, "My story is one in which Jesus won't be making an appearance. My feeling then and now is that if God is fond of black people, he has shown his affection only recently."
That's a telling comment as to where A Woman Like Me travels, as it's a riveting and gritty story full of sex, drugs and disappointment--life and the music industry are without hope for so many. LaVette manages to laugh even through some of her awful times because she measures her achievements so well; even little victories go a long way toward maintaining her sanity. She's had some remarkable friends and mentors along the way, most notably the late Jim Lewis and her husband, Kevin Kiley, who have brought grace and balance to her life.
Compared to New York or L.A. (the meccas of the recording world), Detroit is a tiny city, and LaVette seems to have some kind of relationship with practically everyone in town. And there's lots of tension. Her comments on Diana Ross (referred to as "Diane" in the Detroit music community, and throughout this book) are particularly scalding, and she doesn't mince words about stars like James Brown or Gene Chandler, either. While her honesty is refreshing, it's also a bit scary; do we really need to know that she bonked Otis Redding, or blew cocaine with (fill in the blank)?
My favorite parts of A Woman Like Me are the musical memories of creating her early singles, working with Atlantic Records (which turned out a be a bust; shame on you, Atlantic) or when she was paired with Drive-By Truckers to cut her amazing 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime (Anti-). No arrangements had been readied by the time LaVette arrived in Muscle Shoals to record with the Truckers ("They wanted to wing it.
I wanted to kill them"). Or when mentor Jim Lewis began to peel away LaVette's prejudices about jazz singing (she didn't even care for Billie Holiday) and expanded the depth of her artistry. The photo section sports some treasured shots, bolstering the overall presentation.
As LaVette says herself, "I can be a stubborn bitch," but it's obvious that her heart is huge, because it emerges in her singing over and over. A Woman Like Me is a terrific book--make it somebody's New Years present. Hey, treat yourself.