Betty Davis – Betty Davis

In a world full of barely singin’, female sexpots with manufactured sex appeal, Betty Davis comes off as even more of an original. You can truly say that they don’t make ‘em like her anymore. Her fusion of funk and rock, sex and sass was way ahead of its’ time. She’s the artist Beyonce likes to imagine herself as, but comes nowhere close to.

I became interested in Betty’s music almost by accident. I read a magazine article (I think it may have been in Vibe) some years ago and was intrigued by her look-her billowy Afro and stylish gear radiated a certain confidence. I was also intrigued by the description of her music as well as the fact that she was at one time married to Miles Davis, allegedly hooking him up with artists such as Jimi Hendrix and helping to inspire the rock/jazz fusion Miles broke open with albums like Bi*ches Brew.

I’d occasionally see one of her albums in a record store, but they were always uber-expensive imports, and always ended up being cost-prohibited-even someone who buys as much music as me has a budget. I was relegated to hearing a handful of songs on various funk compilations, which made me even more intrigued. Her feline voice and chunky grooves made me wanna hear more. Imagine my glee when I found out that two of her albums were finally being remastered and made available in the States, thanks to the folks at Light in the Attic Records. I picked those babies up quicker than you can say “cash or credit?”.

I wasn’t let down by these reissues at all. Not only did Light in the Attic do a bang-up job repackaging and remastering these records, but the music within is awesome. Backed by an all-star cast including Larry Graham and Gregg Errico of Sly & the Family Stone, Neal Schon (later of Journey fame), The Pointer Sisters, Sylvester and others, Davis’ self-titled debut is a funky, rockin’ good time.

The big catch here is that voice, for which “feline” is the most accurate adjective to use. It’s capable of being, as Tina Turner once said, “nice and easy” and “nice…and hard”. She could purr seductively and then turn around and let loose with some serious shrieking. It’s hard to compare her to anyone, because…well, she doesn’t exactly sound like anyone.

While there’s not a bad track to be found on Betty Davis, there are a few highlights. You might infer that the rock-etched If I’m in Luck, I Might Get Picked Up is a song about Betty passively waiting to be approached by a sugar daddy, but even as she’s “wigglin’ her fanny”,she sounds completely in control of her sexuality. It also has one of the best song titles in history. She confirms that control on the sensual Anti-Love Song, on which Betty seems to be involved in an entertaining fight with Larry Graham’s fleet-fingered bass for ownership of the song. Anyone who can hold her own against someone who is widely considered one of the best bass players in history gets props from me. The rollicking Your Man, My Man is a catfight on wax that serves as a precursor to songs like Jill Scott’s Gettin’ in the Way, only with more attitude-if you can imagine that.

Game is My Middle Name is packed with as much badassitude as the title implies, with some wildly unhinged guitar and some killer secondary vocals from the Pointer Sisters and disco diva Sylvester, who is at his gospelly best in his brief cameo. The easygoing In the Meantime proves that she can sing a song “straight”, while Steppin’ in Her I. Miller Shoes is the album track that channels Tina Turner story songs like Proud Mary and Sexy Ida. Even the three bonus tracks (recorded a year after Betty Davis came out and otherwise previously unreleased) are high quality, with the furious funk jam Come Take Me the highlight of that bunch.

Even the album’s liner notes are first-rate. Light in the Attic obviously put a lot of care into these reissues, with a thick booklet chock full of biographical information, interviews with friends and album personnel, and even quotes from the reclusive Betty Davis herself. Also included are testimonials from everyone from electro-clash oddity Peaches to gangsta rap legend Ice Cube.

These days, a lot of folks are bemoaning the state of the female artist. With the exception of a few, today’s girl singers can barely sing, don’t write a lick of their material and rely on juvenile lyrics and male-manufactured sex appeal to be successful. It’s a far cry from women in the Seventies who were musically proficient and stunning too. It’s hard to imagine Davis not having had an influence on funk-rockers ranging from Klymaxx and Teena Marie to Rick James. If Pam Grier’s Foxy Brown character made records, she’d be Betty Davis, and I’d say it would be in your best interests to get your mitts on a copy of this classic album.