Anonymous to all but the most attentive of soul fans, Bettye Swann put the sweetness into southern R&B. Though her contemporaries favoured potent anguish, Swann's interpretations of soul favourites of the late 1960s and early 1970s mined a quiet confidence. Her voice echoes both Randy Crawford's vulnerability and Candi Staton's sense of entitlement, but the graceful restraint is Swann's alone. These are low-key celebrations of spirit. Little Things Mean a Lot is a sensible plea for attention; I'm Lonely For You paints a realistic face on romance, despite perky backing vocalists adding snatches of 1960's frivolity. "I've been crying all day and all I've got to show for it is a swollen face," is how Swann sums up her heartbreak.

But it's her unique take on country standards that surprise: Merle Haggard's Today I Started Loving You Again is stunning, and Swann's version of Sweet Dreams is as rueful as Patsy Cline's is haunting. Better yet is Stand by Your Man, with an upbeat rhythm and understated sassiness, making the kitsch standard swing.