Judging by that cover image, I’d say it’s both.
Judging by the music on Betty Davis‘ fourth album, Is It Love or Desire, I’d also say it’s both.
Larry Johnson‘s (one of two cousins to Ms. Davis on the record) opening bass alone on the opening title track is so damn funky that it grabs you by the shoulders, hips, or possibly nipples and doesn’t let go of you. Fred Mills‘ little keyboard touches are excited delights behind Davis’ vocals on “It’s So Good” as she sings about how good love is with her lover as the rest of the band mixes disco and metal.
“A man should not cry over one woman,” the band, and mostly Mills sings, on “Whorey Angel,” with Davis portraying a woman is both a fabulous lover and a nurturer. The track has a gospel-like quality to it that’s outstanding. “Crashin’ from Passion” was supposed to be the title track to the album, but it ended up being the title track of her final album. This version of the song is slower, sultrier, and more dangerous, like you just walked into a room and found a panther staring at you from the door on the other side.
“When Romance Says Goodbye” has Davis confessing to a friend (or the world in general) about the woes of past relationships in a stripped down ballad. “Bottom of the Barrel” has Davis and her band getting funky and calling to “take off that disco, get into what you’re hearin’.” You can easily envision Davis dancing in the rural Louisiana studio where the album was recorded as he lays down her vocal tracks.
“Ain’t no business like show business, that’s why we stay broke all the time!” Davis proclaims on “Stars Starve, You Know” – a fun skewering of Davis’ critics, record industry bigwigs, DJs who wouldn’t play her records, and people who think being a touring musician is an easy gig. On “Let’s Get Personal,” Davis invites you to do just that, whispering / seducing from one side of your speakers while the band plays on the other as if she’s beckoning you from the other side of the room.
Mills’ keyboards bring a little early synthwave to “Bar Hoppin’,” a fun song about Davis’ love of good drink and the company that often surrounds it. Nickie Neal, Jr. (Davis’ other cousin) lays down a beat that is so solid and perfect that it’s easy to think it’s simple and easy. When you really listen to it, however, you realize how in the groove it is, and that skill does not come easy. The closer, “For My Man,” has Davis again seducing us as she purrs out all the gifts (physical and material) she’d give to a man who treated her well. Listen for the violin by none other than blues legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.
The only bad thing about this album is that, for reasons that are still murky due to conflicting stories, Island Records never released it. It was shelved for thirty years. Some say it was because the studio where it was recorded was never paid. Others, including Davis herself, say it was because Island wanted to release one of her songs, “Talkin’ Trash,” as a single without her approval, and Island shelved the album in retaliation. The record went mostly forgotten, and was practically an urban legend until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s and, thankfully, released into the light before Davis’ death.
It’s all-killer, no-filler. Davis mentioned how it sounds contemporary in today’s times, and she was right. The themes are still being discussed, the music is just as fresh, and Davis’ vocals are still powerful.
Don’t miss out on this unearthed treasure.
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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]
