The first Betty Davis song I ever heard was “Nasty Gal,” and I was floored. Here was a woman who sang with an authority and individuality deeper than I had ever heard before, who knew all of the influential players within punk and rock music — and who performed with platform boots and an Afro.
As soon as the first bass note of this jazz-funk LP sunk into my ears, I thought: “does Japan do America better than America?” It’s almost robotic, the way they imitate uniquely “American” music and perfect it to an…
People often complain that “world music” is a term of erasure. To the lover of global musical traditions, it’s a sin to group the world’s sounds in an all-encompassing category. This way, we’re erasing the individual peculiarities of distinct musical…