They Say I'm Different

by Betty Davis

Overview

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 outre record, but more a variation on the same theme she'd explored before. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	09/08/2023
Label:	Light In The Attic Records
UPC:	0826853027113
Rank:	20773

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Betty Davis   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Larry Johnson   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Victor Pantoja   Congas,Percussion
Merl Saunders   Organ,Piano,Piano (Electric)
Pete Escovedo   Timbales
Mike Clark   Drums
Hershall Kennedy   Organ,Vocals,Trumpet,Clavinet,Keyboards,Piano (Electric)
Carlos Morales   Guitar,Vocals
Buddy Miles   Guitar,Lead Guitar
Debbie Burrell   Vocals
Ted Sparks   Drums,Vocals
Errol Crusher Bennett   Percussion
Elaine Clark   Vocals
Tony Vaughn   Piano,Vocals,Clavinet,Keyboards,Bass (Vocal),Piano (Electric)
Mary Jones   Vocals
Jimmy Godwin   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
James Allen Smith   Keyboards
Trudy Perkins   Vocals
Nicky Neal   Drums,Vocals
Cordell Dudley   Guitar,Vocals,Tenor (Vocal)
Willy Sparks   Drums,Vocals
Fred Mills   Vocals,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Betty Davis   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Bob Edwards   Assistant Engineer
Tom Flye   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Jack Adams   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Mel Dixon   Photography
Ron Levine   Cover Design
Bill Levy   Art Direction