Powerhouse
singer Mahalia Barnes, one of the most impressive female vocalists to come out
of Australia, and her band The Soul Mates have teamed up with American
blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa to release an album of Betty Davis covers
called Ooh Yea! – The Betty Davis Songbook. Scheduled for release on February
24, 2015, it explores tracks from Davis' sexy, raw funk records of the early
'70s.
Download
for FREE the intense, rocking song "Steppin' In Her I. Miller Shoes"
which features a wailing guitar solo by Bonamassa here:
Betty
Davis's unique story is still fairly unknown. She married Miles Davis in the
late '60s, influencing him with psychedelic rock, and introducing him to Jimi
Hendrix. Later, she released three genre-busting albums, 1973's self-titled
debut, 1974's They Say I'm Different and 1975's Nasty Gal that have since
influenced artists like Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots,
Ice Cube, Talib Kweli and Ludacris.
Mahalia
Barnes, eldest daughter of Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes and recent
contestant on The Voice, has been around music her whole life but has always
been most heavily influenced by soul, blues and rock n' roll. Throughout the
years she was exposed to Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Ike +
Tina and later, became enthralled with artists like Aretha Franklin, Donny
Hathaway and Stevie Wonder as well as grittier singers like Ann Peebles, Betty
Lavette and Betty Davis.
Last
year, Mahalia was in the studio with her dad and internationally acclaimed
super-producer, Kevin Shirley (Joe Bonamassa, Journey, Divinyls), when she
played Kevin some Betty Davis tracks as a reference. It was then that the idea
to record the album Ooh Yeah – The Betty Davis Song Book was born.
"I
have been a fan of Betty Davis for years now," said Barnes. "I can
remember the first time I heard her stuff, I was hooked! She is wild, free,
nasty, raw, funky, intense, powerful and sexy. I love the instrumentation, I
love the backing vocals. I've always wanted to make a record that sounds like
what she was doing."
Ambitious?
Undoubtedly. Left of center? Perhaps. But the result? Nothing short of
spectacular. Tackling some of Betty's all-time greatest tracks, it's safe to
say that Mahalia holds her own… and then some! Kevin Shirley enlisted Bonamassa
to lend his skills on the record. Heralded as one of the greatest guitar
players of his generation, Bonamassa soars on this album.
In
addition to Barnes on vocals and tambourine and Bonamassa on guitar, the album
features The Soul Mates players Franco Raggatt (guitar), Clayton Doley (organ,
piano), Lachlan Doley (clav, rhodes), Ben Rodgers (bass), David Hibbard
(drums), Yanya Boston (congas), and backing vocalists Darren Percival, Jade
MacRae, and Juanita Tippins. It was recorded live over three days at Freight
Train Studios in Sydney, Australia. It will be released on J&R Adventures,
the independent label founded by Bonamassa and his longtime manager and
business partner Roy Weisman.
"Making
this album was a real joy. I love the realness. Recording it the way we did
kept it really exciting and raw - no tricks or fix ups, old school and real. A
perfect take is one that means something and feels great," said Barnes.
Ooh Yea
The Betty Davis Song Book is certainly Mahalia's most ambitious and prodigious
work to date. It's a record of songs with passion, feeling, power and grit that
celebrates one of the most progressive voices of funk and R&B.
Ooh Yea!
- The Betty Davis Songbook
Tracklist:
1. If
I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up
2.
Steppin' In Her I. Miller Shoes
3. In
The Meantime
4. He
Was A Big Freak
5. Your
Mama Wants You Back
6. Game
Is My Middle Name
7. Nasty
Gal
8. Ooh
Yea!
9. You
Won't See Me In The Morning
10.
Anti-Love Song
11.
Walking Up The Road (featuring guest vocals by Jimmy Barnes)
12.
Shoo-B-Doop And Cop Him
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