Record of the Day: Miss LaVelle – Stolen Love

If you ask me, there is nothing better for your ears, nothing better for your soul, than listening to a bad ass woman sing some heart-wrenching rhythm and blues. Whether it’s an upbeat rockin’ tune or a deep soul ballad that drags your heart down into your gut, it’s a genre that is always there for you. And it goes far beyond Aretha and Etta, as amazing as they both were. Today, I think everyone should pause for a minute and give Miss LaVelle’s Stolen Love a listen. If you’re feeling happy, she’ll keep you there. If you’re feeling down, feeling heartbroken, she will warm you, rock you in her arms and let you know everything’s gonna work out alright, eventually.

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Miss LaVelle (full name LaVelle White) released a slew of 45s in the late 50s & 60s, but didn’t put out a full-length album until the 90s. Luckily, the wonderfully named Sleazy Records released a 10-inch compilation of her singles in 2017, and it’s so damn good. I love 10-inch records, and this one happens to be printed on blush-colored vinyl, which belies just how soulful this record is. It’s not sweet. It’s not pop. It’s deep. It’s passionate.

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Miss LaVelle is originally from Louisiana, but she grew up in Texas, and now calls Austin home, just like yours truly. She is also the most gigginest 89 year old on the planet, playing at least once a week here. She hosts a weekly potluck dinner at a local club where she cooks and brings plates of her home-cooked food, and you get to come eat her food and watch her sing. I’m pretty sure that makes her a local hero, if not a national treasure.

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We’re lucky to have this living soul legend still with us, and we’re lucky to be able to appreciate her while she’s around to see it. So pick up this record, come to Austin to see her play, taste her food, watch her pull that voice out of the deepest recesses of her soul, just to share with all of us. Clap for her, scream for her. Tell her you love her. Consider yourself lucky that you have the chance to do so.

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Dacia

Dacia lives in Austin, Texas, where she writes, drinks & listens to records.

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