soul diva betty harris returns with

Soul Diva Betty Harris Returns with 'Intuition'

I'm happy that some young female singers are interested in old-school

soul, but I prefer listening to the real thing, thanks. So I was

delighted to learn that Betty Harris, one of the real divas of soul,

was recording again after almost four decades.

Her new album, "Intuition," is the work of a woman who's poured a

liftetime of experience into her music. And on songs such as "A Bible

and a Beer" and "Is It Hot in Here," Harris sings with the same

swagger she did on classic tracks such as "Evil Tonight" and "The

Trouble with My Lover" 40 years ago.

Her vocals are a bit gruffer than they were when she recorded with

Allen Toussaint in the '60s, but that works just fine because the

album has a harder edge, with heavy rock and blues influences, than