Betty Davis / They Say I'm Different

AllMusic Review by John Bush  [-]

Betty Davis' second full-length featured a similar set of songs as her debut, though with Davis herself in the production chair and a radically different lineup. The openers, "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" and "He Was a Big Freak," are big, blowsy tunes with stop-start funk rhythms and Davis in her usual persona as the aggressive sexual predator. On the title track, she reminisces about her childhood and compares herself to kindred spirits of the past, a succession of blues legends she holds fond -- including special time for Bessie Smith, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson. A pair of unknowns, guitarist Cordell Dudley and bassist Larry Johnson, do a fair job of replacing the stars from her first record. As a result, They Say I'm Different is more keyboard-dominated than her debut, with prominent electric piano, clavinet, and organ from Merl Saunders, Hershall Kennedy, and Tony Vaughn. The material was even more extreme than on her debut; "He Was a Big Freak" featured a prominent bondage theme, while "Your Mama Wants Ya Back" and "Don't Call Her No Tramp" dealt with prostitution, or at least inferred it. With the exception of the two openers, though, They Say I'm Different lacked the excellent songs and strong playing of her debut; an explosive and outré record, but more a variation on the same theme she'd explored before.

They Say I'm Different is the second studio album by Betty Davis. It was released in 1974.

Track listing   

All songs written by Betty Davis

1. "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" – 3:57
2. "He Was a Big Freak" – 4:07
3. "Your Mama Wants Ya Back" – 3:27
4. "Don't Call Her No Tramp" – 4:06
5. "Git In There" – 4:46
6. "They Say I'm Different" – 4:14
7. "70's Blues" – 4:01
8. "Special People" – 3:22

Personnel       

• Betty Davis - , Producer, Vocals
• Debbie Burrell - Vocals
• Elaine Clark - Vocals
• Mary Jones - Vocals
• Trudy Perkins - Vocals
• Mike Clark - Drums
• Nicky Neal - Drums, Vocals
• Willy Sparks - Drums, Vocals
• Ted Sparks - Drums
• Pete Escovedo - Timbales
• Victor Pantoja - Congas, Percussion
• Errol "Crusher" Bennett - Percussion
• Buddy Miles - Guitar
• Jimmy Godwin - Guitar
• Cordell Dudley - Guitar, Vocals
• Carlos Morales - Guitar, Vocals
• Larry Johnson - Bass
• Merl Saunders - Electric Piano
• Fred Mills - Keyboards, Vocals
• James Allen Smith - Keyboards
• Hershall Kennedy - Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ, Electric Piano, Trumpet, Vocals
• Tony Vaughn - Bass (Vocal), Clavinet, Keyboards, Piano, Electric Piano, Vocals
• Mel Dixon - Photography
• Bob Edwards - Assistant Engineer
• Tom Flye - Mixing
• Ron Levine - Cover Design
• Bill Levy - Art Direction

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