The Betty Davis I know is the one with Bette Davis eyes. But I am diving into the trenches! I have not once ever heard a single song by this woman. She may be better known as a wife of famed Jazz artist Miles Davis. She made a name for herself as being a pioneer of more "provocative" performance and artistry.
She started in the industry more as a model, and this led her to be able to meet greats like Jimi Hendrix. Her first claim to musical fame actually came from the fact she penned the 1967 track "Uptown to Harlem". She was still invested in modeling, but a change came as she was bored with having a job that would only last as long as she looked good.
As a matter of fact, it was her who introduced Miles Davis to the likes of Hendrix, which went on to inspire his work with "Bitches Brew". I will allow the audience to decide whether or not this led to the ruination of Jazz.
As for her, she did finally release an album on a major label. Her first two albums were released on a smaller scale, but Robert Palmer secured her a bigger label for a period. It would be her only official release with Island Records, as it performed poorly originally and in turn they shelved her second album. Many say her image was stronger than her actual talent, although some more "revisions" suggest Island wasted her talent.
I am immediately surprised how assertive her voice is. Makes me almost think more to blues than to funk, although I can hear the "funk" in the beat. The beat of "Nasty Gal" is infectious.
"Talkin Trash" seems a bit mismatched with the actual melody. It takes away from what could be a fun song.
I am always a fan of when people get sassy and smash the way the press talks about stars. "Dedicated to the Press" takes them on for calling her vulgar and deciding things would be better without her. The raw grit in her voice makes this more convincing.
After the grit of the first half, I felt a sense of shock of the change going to "You and I". It is not my cup of tea musically but the sentiment is nice and it isn't poorly made.
I feel like her voice better fits the more aggressive beats than ballads. "Feelins" is a little too all over the place instrumentally for me to enjoy it. It is actually drowning out her grit.
"F.U.N.K" is exactly its title. Funky. Definitely some edges on this one. It feels like a homage too which is pretty cool. In the modern era it feels like everyone now is too afraid to say their inspirations otherwsie they will get confused of being "hack" or art thief. Kind of ridiculous how it has gotten.
"Gettin Kicked Off, Havin Fun" returns to the slower piece of earlier. I like the way the melody is done better on this one. Seems seductive.
The guitar in "Shut Off the Light" works with her rawness on this. It feels like you can just get lost in this a bit.
"This is It" is a bit grating. Feels like the words are just kind of thrown in, but the beat is good.
The album closes with "The Lone Ranger" which is a much slower and more seductive ballad. It is not bad. The lone ranger analogy feels a little weird considering though.
LYRICS: 5/10 - Nothing breathtaking here in the form of topics or lyricism but for the most part, it fits. It at least makes some sense versus some funk just tossing in any old words...
MUSIC: 8/10 - This is where the album shines. It is very solidly made funk music. The guitars are infectious. It really gets you interested.
OVERALL: 6/10 - It is not something I will likely return to much, but if you love good funky guitars then this album is pretty good. Not poorly made half-baked stuff on that front.
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