Her last name reflects the heritage of her Australian superstar father Jimmy Barnes and her first name evokes American gospel superstar Mahalia Jackson. Mahalia Barnes is an enticingly true representation of what her name suggests: a powerful, soulful singer, listing Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Ann Peebles and Betty Davis as influences.
It’s that last influence that, thanks to producer Kevin Shirley’s prodding, is the subject of Mahalia Barnes’ new album. I didn’t google it, but I’m pretty sure that Ooh Yea, The Betty Davis Songbook (February 24, 2015, J&R Adventures) is the first album dedicated to the songs and music of the woefully unheralded, one-of-kind Betty Davis, and the exclusive stream above of Barnes’ covering the raunchy Davis number “Nasty Gal” testifies to the greatness of both women.
Betty Davis was Betty Mabry until she married Miles Davis in 1968, appearing on the cover of Miles’ superb album Filles des Kilimanjaro later that year and he even titled the track “Mademoiselle Mabry” after her. By the following year, the marriage was over but Davis had already pushed her much older husband in a direction that reflected the tastes of her generation, turning a slowly fading jazz legend twenty years her senior into a bonafide rock star.
However, Betty Davis wasn’t done making her mark. She made three albums in the mid-1970s that turned the tables on the battles of the sexes, writing and singing songs about being the sexual predator of men. That kind of attitude from a woman was ahead of its time, alas, too much so. Instead of fame and acclaim, Davis only got notoriety instead and she slipped into obscurity.
Her music had much more going for it than its liberated woman brashness, though; these are tightly constructed tunes every bit as funky and hard-rocking as Sly and the Family Stone of the time, pulling together many of the best funk musicians of the time (including Family Stone’s Larry Graham).
That is why a fresh look at those trio of forgotten records — Betty Davis, They Say I’m Different and Nasty Gal — is badly needed and Mahalia Barnes is the right woman for the job. A bonafide soul shouter herself, this project benefits from some serious muscle, from producer Shirley and a helping hand from blues-rock guitar god Joe Bonamassa.
Joe Bonamassa has had success porting his blues-rock style comfortably alongside the powerful soul-rock voice of Beth Hart, but he also brandished impressive funk credentials on the fusion side project Rock Candy Funk Party, so just because Shirley is tight with the guitarist doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good idea to bring him on board for this record.
“Nasty Gal” comes from the 1975 Davis album of the same name and Barnes with her Soul Mates backing band does nothing to dilute the hard-hitting impact of the original; it’s as funky as the JB’s on a good night, with Ben Rodgers’ fuzzy bass line first capturing the attention. But Mahalia Barnes’ torrent of swagger begins as soon as she opens by growling “I ain’t nothin’ but a nasty gal/I said you said I was a bitch now, a ho’, didn’t ya didn’t ya,” later shouting “I used to leave you hanging in the bed by your fingernails screamin’!” and then purring “You said I love you every way but your way, but my way was too dirty for ya’.” Mercy!
Joe Bonamassa plugs right into the sleazy groove, summoning up a nasty guitar solo fit for a nasty gal.
Nowadays it’s much easier to find nasty gals in music and it’s much more widely accepted. But no one has done it quite as well with a forceful, funk-rock punch as the trailblazer Betty Davis. Mahalia Barnes is making damned sure we know that, too.
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