Betty Davis

LIGHT IN THE ATTICからリイシューされたBETTY DAVISの名盤がリプレス!!

帝王MILES DAVISの妻にして70年代を代表するフィメール・ファンク女王、BETTY DAVISといえば『BETTY DAVIS』、『THEY SAY I'M A DIFFERENT』、『NASTY GAL』という3枚のスタジオアルバムを残し、さらにお蔵入りとなった『IS IT LOVE OR DESIRE』、2016年にリリースされた幻のセッション音源集『COLUMBIA YEARS 1968-1969』など、数多くの傑作を残した人物。
今作は1973年にリリースされた記念すべき1stアルバム。ホーンセクションにTOWER OF POWER、ベースにLARRY GRAHAM、ドラムとプロデュースにGREGG ERRICO(SLY & THE FAMILY STONE)、ギターにNEAL SHON、バックコーラスにPOINTER SISTERSにSYLVESTERという、デビューアルバムにして超強力布陣で制作されたファンクを代表する名盤。

Despite an abundance of talent, a crack back-up band (which included most of Graham Central Station), and some of the most stinging funk tracks of the era, it's really not all that surprising that Betty Davis never became a star: the girl was a stone-cold freak, and her self-titled 1973 debut more than illustrates that fact. Second wife to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix's former girlfriend, Davis is often credited (by Miles himself in fact) with steering Miles toward the sounds that would give rise to his fusion period, and one listen to the acid-tinged wah-drenched guitars on the album's opening track, "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up", makes it clear that Betty was on a decidedly different trip than almost all of her contemporaries. The album can be quite odd, yet Davis is so unhinged and brimming with such confidence (particularly on the cult fave "Walkin' up the Road") it's impossible not to be amazed. Frustratingly, Davis remains in relative obscurity to this day despite providing the template for the sexually confident female performer that has been used by Lil'Kim, Foxy Brown, and Kelis, among others.|

Betty Davis' debut was an outstanding funk record, driven by her aggressive, no-nonsense songs and a set of howling performances from a crack band. Listeners wouldn't know it from the song's title, but for the opener, "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up," Davis certainly doesn't play the wallflower; she's a woman on the prowl, positively luring the men in and, best of all, explaining exactly how she does it: "I said I'm wigglin' my fanny, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it/This is my night out." "Game Is My Middle Name" begins at a midtempo lope, but really breaks through on the chorus, with the Pointer Sisters and Sylvester backing up each of her assertions. As overwhelming as Davis' performances are, it's as much the backing group as Davis herself that makes her material so powerful (and believable). Reams of underground cred allowed her to recruit one of the tightest rhythm sections ever heard on record (bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico, both veterans of Sly & the Family Stone), plus fellow San Francisco luminaries like master keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarists Neal Schon or Douglas Rodriguez (both associated with Santana at the time). Graham's popping bass and the raw, flamboyant, hooky guitar lines of Schon or Rodriguez make the perfect accompaniment to these songs; Graham's slinky bass is the instrumental equivalent of Davis' vocal gymnastics, and Rodriguez makes his guitar scream during "Your Man My Man." It's hard to tell whether the musicians are pushing so hard because of Davis' performances or if they're egging each other on, but it's an unnecessary question. Everything about Betty Davis' self-titled debut album speaks to Davis the lean-and-mean sexual predator, from songs to performance to backing, and so much the better for it. All of which should've been expected from the woman who was too wild for Miles Davis. ~ John Bush