It’s perhaps fair to say that BettySoo isn’t your ordinary Texan singer-songwriter. A petite Asian-American with folksy leanings may not just now be a popular description in the Americana field but there’s not much at all to dislike about BettySoo. Moreover, her album, “Heat Sin Water Skin,” is a delightful listen.
A menacing, strutting vibe emits from “Never Knew No Love” with BettySoo’s voice immediately demanding the full attention of the listener. By contrast, “Just Another Lover” is a sombre tale of one of love’s cruel happenings. The latter is the first instance in which BettySoo’s voice goes, perhaps worryingly, straight for the pericardium, as if to establish a direct link between the ears and the heart. “Whisper My Name” only furthers this phenomenon.
A potential trouble for the listener is deciding which side of BettySoo they most enjoy - the innocent, whispered side that relies less on instrumentation or the bluesy, streetwise side on which the percussion is more apparent. Borrowing the unmistakable production skills of Gurf Morlix, there’s no doubting the quality of the recordings. Indeed, Morlix appears to have captured BettySoo’s voice at its most crystalline.
“Never The Pretty Girl” is one of the less interesting tracks on the album. While seemingly a confession, it does sound like attempted inspirational words for someone else. However, this minor blip is quickly forgotten as BettySoo hits the high notes, ironically on a track known as “Still Small Voice.” While it’s not unfair to bypass “Next Big Thing” for similar reasons as with “Never The Pretty Girl,” the album does end on good terms. “Lonesome Whistle” declares that the album’s civil war is over with the softer side emerging victorious. With almost tranquilising quiet, BettySoo thus brings her album to a close.
There’s a lot to be said for the female folksingers of Texas. From the late Cindy Walker to modern-day Nancy Griffith, there’s an abundance of beauty and brilliance to absorb. On this evidence, BettySoo will be spoken of in similar terms before long.