Sub Pop Bands - Thornetta Davis

The musical heritage of the Motor City is well documented. Giants like Sippie Wallace, Aretha Franklin, and Diana Ross lived here, the great Dinah Washington died here, and the Motown sound was born here. In the 70 s Detroit became synonymous with Rock & Roll, and while Motown headed for the coast and folks like Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder headed up the charts, the Renaissance City s tradition of fine jazz, R&B and blues music continued unchecked and almost totally unnoticed.

There's little doubt that if Motown Records was still in Detroit, Thornetta Davis would be a star. Her rich, soulful voice reaches through the mic and grabs you, alternately pummeling you with its sheer power and caressing you with its steady, reassuring strength. Thornetta s awesome vocal prowess is well known in her hometown, where she has won numerous accolades (she s been voted Outstanding Blues Artist in the Motor City Music Awards, and Metro Times Best Blues Vocalist more times than you can count on one hand), has opened for artists like Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight and Etta James, and even sang backing vocals on the last Bob Seger album.

Thornetta began her singing career reluctantly when some friends encouraged her to enter a high school talent show. Nervous at first, Thornetta soon began to feel at home in front of an audience and before long had joined her first band, the all-female Chanteuse, performing top 40 R&B hits by the likes of the Pointer Sisters and The Emotions.

It would be several years before Thornetta would find her true calling as a blues singer. Sometime around 1986 Thornetta came across a local blues band called Lamonte Zodiac and the Love Signs, who quickly recruited her as a backing vocalist. Before long, Lamonte split, the band changed their name to the Chisel Brothers, and Thornetta quickly assumed her rightful place at center stage.

In 1991, Detroit-based funk rockers Big Chief recruited Thornetta to add vocals to two songs for their Sub Pop debut Face: "Fresh Vines" and "Reduced To Tears". Thornetta's forceful, resonant alto lent itself perfectly to the Chief s Westbound-style grooves, and when the band returned to the studio in 1992 to record the more heavily funkified Mack Avenue Skull Game, Thornetta was again brought in to add her unique vocal stylings to several songs, including the band's near-hit "One Born Every Minute."

Sunday Morning Music is Thornetta's first solo groove for Sub Pop (apart from a European-only EP), and once again her colossal talent has precipitated a turning of the tables. This time, the now-disbanded "Big Chief" (minus their singer, obviously) is acting as back-up band for their one-time back-up singer.

The album's eleven songs perfectly showcase the sweep of Thornetta's enormous ability. Shot through and through with a plaintive and cinematic sensibility, the songs dip and soar, both within themselves and one to the next. Album opener "Cry" is a bluesy ballsy ballad taken to anthemic heights. Next is the funkster slap-happy "Helpless"; also on the funky tip, be sure to check out the inspirational cover of Stevie Wonder s "You Haven t Done Nothin". Other highlights include the acoustic blues- and organ-driven title track and "Box of Memories". "Come Go With Me", the album's closer, is a playful nod in the direction of classic 60s Motown.

From the seedy back-alley bars of Detroit s Cass Corridor to the plush, air-conditioned safety of the suburban blues clubs, Thornetta Davis the reigning diva of the local blues scene. Her name is spoken with the same reverential solemnity that is usually reserved for the likes of Etta James, Bessie Smith and (dare I say it) Billie Holliday. In the Motor City, everyone knows about Thornetta; it's time for the rest of the world to catch up.