NEW SOUNDS

NICKI MINAJ

Nicki Minaj may have recently become a mother but that doesn't mean she's gone soft. The rap artist hasn't toned down her sexy image but she has shifted directions in her music, offering lyrics that are not as sexually suggestive and getting back to basics from her early days of making mixtapes. Two examples of this change is with her first new singles as lead performer in three years, "Do We Have a Problem?" and "Bussin". Minaj teams up with Lil Baby on both tracks with these artists impressively trading verses.  The music video for "Do We Have a Problem?" is a nine-minute, action-filled mini-movie that was directed by Benny Boom. Minaj has stated that this is a preview of what's to come and expect a new album by summer.

KIM PETRAS

With the title, "Slut Pop", there is no question on what the theme of Kim Petras' latest release is about. If you need some assistance, the focus of this seven track EP is about nothing more than sex, each song going on about how much she desperately wants and needs to fornicate, set to throbbing dance-pop beats. This is quite a departure for the German-born pop princess, initially modeling herself after the chic narcissism of socialite, Paris Hilton when she first came on the scene. Now Petras has morphed into the cartoon sexuality of a porn star with a racy, new image to match. Most of these playfully, raunchy ditties (produced by the controversial Dr. Luke) are barely over two minutes long, seemingly readymade for DJs to remix so people will be able to break a sweat out on the dance floor for hours.

BETTY DAVIS (1944 - 2022)

Betty Davis, a wildly flamboyant performer who merged funk and jazz to create her own unique sound, has passed away on February 9th at the age of seventy-seven. She had been privately battling cancer. The former wife of jazz legend, Miles Davis, was a powerhouse enetertainer known for her sensuous stage persona and sexually suggestive songs.

Born Betty Mabry in Durham, NC, she had an interest in music as a young girl and wrote her first song at the age of twelve. Her family relocated to Homestead, PA and after graduating from high school there, Betty headed out to New York City. She enrolled at F.I.T. to study fashion yet became a presence in the scene happening in Greenwich Village at the time. Hanging out with musicians, actors and artists, Mabry began modeling. This lead to her meeting producer, Don Costa and getting her first recording contract, releasing some singles under "Betty Mabry" in 1964.

She began a relationship with South African musician, Hugh Masekela in 1968 and did some recordings with him during this time. Not long after separating from Masekela, Mabry met Miles Davis. She was the cover model on his 1968 album, "Filles de Kilimanjaro" which features a song, "Mademoiselle Mabry" in tribute to her. Davis had ended his marriage to dancer, Frances Taylor in 1966 and then became involved with actress, Cicely Tyson for a couple of years when the forty-two year old musician impulsively married Mabry who was only twenty-three at the time. During their brief, tumultuous marriage, Betty introduced Davis to rock music and the mod clothing style of the era while he helped her become more confident in her abilities as a musician, recording several demos with his guidance. The marriage came to an end after a year with Davis accusing her of infidelity with Jimi Hendrix.

Davis initially moved to Britain after the end of her marriage, returning to modeling and creating music before heading to the West Coast to finally begin her first album. Davis released her self-titled album in 1973 which she wrote all the songs. This collection of sexually provocative, funky rock is highlighted by her bold, raspy voice. Davis would release her follow-up, "They Say I'm Different" the following year. Neither album was a big commercial success but she managed to get signed to a major label, Island Records and released a third album, "Nasty Gal" in 1975. Davis had begun working on another album before she was dropped from the label.

After this disappointment, Davis eventually went back to Homestead, ended her music career and settled into a quiet life. But over the years, Davis would become a cult figure, recognized as a performer who was well before her time and never fully appreciated as an artist. By 2009, all of Davis' albums were reissued and her unreleased music was finally able to be heard. Filmmaker, Philip Cox tracked down Davis, who was living quite modestly in the basement of a house, to make a documentary about her extraordinary life and career, "Betty: They Say I'm Different" in 2017.

MY TUNE OF THE DAY

My tune of the day is "Cat's in the Cradle" from Harry Chapin, a big hit for the folk-rock singer in 1974. I have been hearing this song frequently lately and always loved songs that tell a story. This is a wistful tale about fatherhood, exploring what is actually essential in being a successful parent. Written by Chapin and his wife, Sandy Gaston, "Cat's in the Cradle" began as a poem that Sandy had started. After the birth of their first son, Chapin became interested in returning to this poem and putting music to it. Chapin would earn a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

While he enjoyed worldwide popularity throughout his career, "Cat's in the Cradle" would be Chapin's biggest hit song (reaching number one on the US pop charts) and has remained his most enduring. In addition to his music, Chapin (who passed away at thirty-eight in 1981 following a fatal car accident) was also known for his philanthropy and dedication in ending world hunger.