[Cover photo credit to Alysse Gafkjen]
Nashville-based singer/songwriter Nicki Bluhm is paying tribute to the late prolific Stax Records songwriter Bettye Crutcher by sharing her rendition of “How Strong Is A Woman,” which was released on what would’ve been her 87th birthday.
Originally written by Crutcher and cut by Ann Peebles in 1972, the song was updated by Bluhm and Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang, who worked closely with Crutcher shortly before her passing to revise its lyrics, which “now emphasize how the true strength of a woman is rooted in self-love.” The new version was recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis.
Bluhm explains:
Reexploring this song was both an honor and an undertaking. A lot has changed in those 50+ years, and as we’ve evolved, the meaning in this title has too. I think Bettye understood that better than anyone, which is why she was open to modernizing the lyrics with Matt Ross-Spang and me. Matt is a very dear friend, exceptional producer and deep appreciator of musical history. We have made a lot of music together, and this collaboration between him, Bettye and myself was really special. As we communed in Bettye’s home – her elegantly smoking Parliaments – the biggest lyrical departure we agreed upon was changing the original line, ‘A woman is strong as the need of the man she loves’ to ‘A woman is strongest when she has her own self-love.’ The takeaway, of course, being that a woman’s strength is not dependent on a man, but rather on how she honors and values herself. Music carries mantras, and I hope this is one that young women of today can hear and live by.
Matt Ross-Spang says on the collaboration:
Some of my most fulfilling creative memories have come from collaborating with Nicki Bluhm. Her voice is a rare gift – one that seamlessly transcends space and time. Together, we dreamed up a vision to update the lyrics of ‘How Strong Is A Woman’ and transform it into a modern anthem. We knew we had our work cut out for us; the original version carries an incredible energy, anchored by a legendary performance from Ann Peebles. We met Bettye at her home in Nashville, and just sitting with her, we instantly felt we were sitting with royalty. She welcomed us like family, serving up bowls of homemade gumbo and ice cream. She regaled us with stories of Stax and her beloved husband, and in the pauses we reworked the lyrics. I hope this version inspires just as Bettye did for Nicki and me.
Last fall, Bluhm released her eighth studio album Rancho Deluxe, which found the San Francisco native reflecting on hard-earned lessons from two decades in the music business.
Rancho Deluxe was the follow-up to Bluhm’s 2023 Cher tribute album, The Beat Goes On, and her 2022 original LP Avondale Drive.
