Tonight brings a downright spectacular pairing to Raleigh's NC Museum of Art, two wonderful acts guaranteed to get your mojo workin'. I've done interviews with both in the not-too-distant past; so you can read up on Bettye LaVette and Marcia Ball.

New to the NC Museum of Art concert schedule, according to Pollstar listings: sassy soul goddess Bettye LaVette on July 10, in a killer pairing with bayou country pianist Marcia Ball. Should be a great one.

The rest of the NCMA's concert schedule so far consists of Pink Martini on June 6; Hubert Sumlin with Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin on Aug. 8; and Doc Watson on Sept. 26.

Officially, Texas singer/pianist Marcia Ball is non-partisan -- she played both the Democratic and Republican conventions, after all. But ask which convention was a better party, and it's no contest.

"The Democrats, hands down," she said in a recent interview. "The Democrats really knew how to party, and there was quite a guest list at the thing we played: James Carville, Kathleen Sebelius, Harry Shearer. It was cool and fun and the music was amazing. I could hardly believe I was there. It was a little bit of heaven. By the Republican convention, it was less of a party. Plus Hurricane Gustav was bearing down, and some of the Louisiana people had to go back. It didn't seem to be as much of an event to the Republicans, totally under the radar. I don't know if we made an impression in Minneapolis at all."

But Ball will probably make an impression tonight in Durham, at the Bull Durham Blues Festival. Check here for more on that and a variety of weighty topics, including barbecue.