THE FAMILY FORTUNE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Here's a cover which can't fail to please a huge crowd, as Betty Black takes on Eurythmics' eternal 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. Black has been hitting her stride as a modern day soul diva after moving on from her accomplished roots voicing some iconic UK garage tunes, and her cover of 'Cry Me A River' is no joke either. Backed up by The Family Fortune and bringing an undeniable 60s sass to her performance, she makes the track her own. As well as the full vocal version on the A-side, the B-side has the slightly edited, dubbed out 'Work Out' version for when you want to work up a sweat.

Review: The next drop on the Skyline soul 7" series is this sureshot from the London scene, which finds Betty Black laying down a devastating turn on Arthur Hamilton's evergreen heart-wrangler, 'Cry Me A River'. Black's performance has the stature of Shirley Bassey et al, helped no end by the big band bombast of The Family Fortune's backing track. It's loaded with brass stabs and chic 60s stylings, all shot through with a heavy dose of funk. On the flip, the band go it alone with the complementary groove of 'Shock Value'. It's a pearler taking its cues from the same era, sounding classic in all the right ways while cutting through like a modern record should.