The Betty Carter Album

The Betty Carter Album is a 1976 album by Betty Carter. It is unique among her albums in its use of overdubbing on some tracks to allow her to record multiple vocal lines. It was also her first album for which she wrote the majority of the songs herself.^[3][4]

The Betty Carter Album
Studio album by Betty Carter
Released	1976
Recorded	Before 1975
Genre	Jazz
Length	39:44
Label	Bet-Car MK 1002/Verve 835 682-2
Producer	Betty Carter
Betty Carter chronology
Now It's My Turn (1976) The Betty Carter Album (1976) The Audience with Betty Carter (1979)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

The album was originally released on Carter's own Bet-Car label. It was first reissued on CD by Verve in 1988.^[5]

Reception

The singer Bilal names it among his 25 favorite albums and one of the first jazz records he purchased, citing Carter's vocal stylings.^[6]

Track listing

1. "You're a Sweetheart" (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:57
2. "I Can't Help It" (Betty Carter) – 2:45
3. "What is It?" (Carter) – 5:35
4. "On Our Way Up (Sister Candy)" (Freddie Roach) – 1:36
5. "We Tried" (Carter) – 5:53
6. "Happy" (Carter) – 2:08
7. "Sunday, Monday or Always" (Sonny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 4:19
8. "Tight" (Carter) – 1:36
9. "Children Learn What They Live" (Dorothy Law Nolt) – 4:16
10. "Sounds (Movin' On)" (Carter) – 7:17

Personnel

• Betty Carter - vocals
• Danny Mixon - piano
• Onaje Allan Gumbs - piano (tracks 1, 3 and 7)
• Buster Williams - double bass
• Louis Hayes - drums
• Chip Lyle - drums (tracks 2, 8, 9 and 10)

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 38. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. Bauer, William R. Open the Door: The Life and Music of Betty Carter (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2002), 398.
4. Carter, Betty (1976). The Betty Carter Album [CD liner notes]. New York: Polygram Records, Inc.
5. "Betty Carter - The Betty Carter Album at Discogs". discogs.com. 1976. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
6. Simmons, Ted (February 26, 2013). "Bilal's 25 Favorite Albums". Complex. Retrieved August 28, 2020.

External links

• The Betty Carter Album at Discogs (list of releases)