#FreeAtNoon Flashback: Bette Smith channeled old-school soul and gospel from a stage in Brooklyn

Rock and soul singer Bette Smith joined us live from a purple-lit stage in her native Brooklyn, New York for this week’s virtual Free At Noon. Her warm and energetic performance was sure to get you up and dancing — even if you were at home and still in your pajamas on this cold winter day.

Smith played five songs off her second album, The Good, The Bad and the Bette, which came out last year. She channels the old school soul and gospel music she grew up with, a sound that ranges from punchy like “Fistful of Dollars,” a timely tune about “hard economic times,” to heartfelt with “Whistle Stop,” dedicated to Smith’s late mom.

If you missed it, watch Bette Smith’s entire performance below via NPR Live Sessions.

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“I Felt It Too”
“Fistful of Dollars”
“Whistle Stop”
“Everybody Needs Love”
“I’m a Sinner”