Nina Simone – Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter
Nina Simone – The Pusher
Nina Simone – Obeah Woman
I’m pretty sure the first time I came into contact with this record from Nina Simone was at Groove Merchant. I’d been a fan of Simone’s but didn’t own any of her records (a true sin, I know…) and I was drawn to this one because it had one of Cool Chris’ attention grabbing notes on the front to check “Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter.” When you see albums with a note from Cool Chris, you just know the track has to be killer and that’s definitely the case with this monster.
“Tweeter” is a really interesting track. Like a number of songs Nina Simone covered, she puts such a distinctive stamp on it that you’d never know that the original came from Ike & Tina Turner. The pieces come together slowly, first upbeat African styled percussion, some notes from the electric bass, later on some fine funky drumming. It’s not until the final line where Nina growls, “…always rapping about the same ole thing,” that finally everything is together, the percussion, the tight drums and that rumbling soulful bass, for just 20 seconds and then it’s gone. The rhythmic build up is part of what makes this song so exceptional, the majority has to do with Nina’s delivery, especially of the punchlines in the lyrics where the rhythm completely drops out, she gives us a sassy “boring” or a whispered, “things you do ain’t never really pleasing” leading to a defiant “can’t believe nothing you say…” in the chorus. Beyond badass, pure Nina Simone.
The other tracks I’ve provided here are also covers, and also better than the originals. “The Pusher” is a significantly more soulful version than Steppenwolf’s original. In Nina’s hands the song seems less like a joke from a drugged out hippie band and more like a real indictment of drug culture. “Obeah Woman” is actually the second Exuma track on this record as Nina also covers his song “Damballa.” “Obeah Woman” is a bravura performance, deserving of the final place on the album and as a final statement for an artist who, as the title of the record references, had just finished her contract and was about to take a hiatus from performing and recording for several years. When she takes hold of the audience during this song, you never doubt that the “Obeah Woman” is Nina, this fierce, spiritual, powerful, elemental force, and an artist who’ll likely never be matched in her intensity of performance, her emotional volatility and the inspiration she continues to provide as the years go passing by.
Cheers,
Michael
…p.s. Recently my former KCRW homeboy Anthony Valadez guest hosted the station’s signature show Morning Becomes Eclectic and played “Tweeter” which then found its way into one of my Wife & I’s favorite summer Reality TV competition shows, “So You Think You Can Dance”…I think a boy/girl pairing might have been better considering the lyrical matter, but there is some nice dancing (especially the little JB inspired bit during the chorus) and it was nice to see dancing to this track. I’ve never had the guts to drop the needle on this record in a club because of the unconventionalness of the rhythmic changes…maybe I’ll give it a go if I get another chance to guest at Funky Sole, just to see how the dancers respond.