Bette Smith

𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙎𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙝’𝙨 “𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜” 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙬, 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡-𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 — 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮, 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨.

The record moves with a live-band feel — horns, Hammond swells, tough rhythm guitar and a rhythm section that locks into a heavy swing, giving Smith the perfect space to testify, plead and burn. Her delivery shifts from velvet restraint to full-throttle rasp in an instant, channelling the raw emotional punch of classic soul while sounding urgent and present.

There’s gospel heat, R&B grit and a swaggering blues undercurrent throughout, but what really anchors “Goodthing” is the sense of spirit and honesty in every performance. A powerful modern soul album with an old-school heart — unvarnished, fiery and deeply human.