The MFA Gets Soul
R&B stylist Bettye LaVette headlines Concerts in the Courtyard tonight
Based on the weather report, this evening’s Concert in the Courtyard at the Museum of Fine Arts will probably become a concert in the museum’s Remis Auditorium. But with Bettye LaVette on the bill, the locale doesn’t matter.
The 63-year-old soul singer is better than ever, 47 years after she first hit the R&B Top Ten list in 1962 with the single “My Man — He’s a Lovin’ Man.” Her 2005 album I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise features songwriting collaborations with Aimee Mann, Sinéad O’Connor, Lucinda Williams, and Dolly Parton; 2007’s Grammy-nominated Scene of the Crime includes covers of Willie Nelson, Elton John, and Don Henley tunes. LaVette’s latest album, a six-song EP called Change Is Gonna Come Sessions, was released this month as an iTunes download.
The Elaine and Jerome Rosenfeld Concerts in the Courtyard at the MFA are held on Wednesdays throughout the summer, beginning at 7:30 p.m., in the Calderwood Courtyard, which opens at 6 p.m.; seating is limited and low lawn chairs or blankets are recommended. Tickets for Bettye LaVette are $28 for the general public and $24 for MFA members, students, and seniors; they can be purchased here.
Jessica Ullian can be reached at jullian@bu.edu.
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