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NEWS : STORIES
Though her music speaks volumes about some intimate aspects of her life, Davina still likes to keep a little mystery about herself. Calling from a car maneuvering the streets of New York City, the R&B singer and producer, who will release on
"I'm a Pisces," she said, "and Pisces are mysterious. Didn't you know that?" With her astrological sign established, you'd think she'd be willing to divulge her age. Nope. "I'm timeless," she said while laughing. "I've lived 65 lifetimes." That's a heck of a long time to look for a record deal, especially one that lets you produce your debut. Still, Davina -- whose album offers everything from hip-hop-influenced beats to jazzy ballads -- was persistent, and for good reason. She'd made a few dance records as a teenager in Detroit and was not enamored of being a producer's puppet. This time around, she said she knew that she wanted her album to reflect who she was without too many other people trying shape her vision. "I wanted a company that said, 'She can do this, this is her space,' " Davina explained. "And that's what I got when [Loud Records] came at me." The deal, which resulted in the delivery of Best of Both Worlds was not, however, without its hitches. Asked why someone who made a point of being allowed to produce an album of her own material would include a cover of pop star Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It," Davina quickly pointed out that it wasn't her idea. "That was a label compromise," she said dismissively. "They wanted me to do a cover, so we settled on 'I Can't Help It.' " Before choosing the Jackson number for the LP, Davina had kicked around the idea of covering funk-rock pioneer Stevie Wonder's "Where Were You When I Needed You." She settled, however, on "I Can't Help It" because it was written by Wonder and performed by Jackson on his solo breakthrough, Off The Wall, an album produced by Davina's inspiration, Quincy Jones. On the flipside of the coin, however, Davina used Jones' inspiration to tackle other aspects of R&B. With "My Cryin' Blues" she takes on jazz, and "After The Rain" finds her delving into more traditional sounding R&B balladry. Of the album's 13 tracks, Davina calls "After The Rain" her favorite. "It's just a more personal song," she explained. "I had a friend close to me who died and the rain [that followed] felt like it was cleansing." Davina's inheritance of Jones' legendary ear for pop hooks in various styles of R&B can be heard throughout Best of Both Worlds, an album that she said she is proud of both as an artist and as a producer. And while Davina may be reluctant to discuss some things about herself, other characteristics come through clearly in her music. For instance, from a quick listen to the album, it is obvious that she's someone with love on the brain and dancing in her feet. Best of Both Worlds is packed with such beat-friendly soul come-ons as "Come Over To My Place" and "So Good" (RealAudio excerpt). The hip-hop influence is so strong on some tracks that one would almost expect a rapper to start jamming out the rhymes midsong. "I just wanted to put [hip-hop beats] on the album so that the heads would see that R&B people need them as much as they need us." Stating that her goal in making the album was for listeners to "get moved," Davina said, "There are songs on there that are sad, sexual and happy. I'm definitely happy with how it turned out because I didn't have any idea going into it what I wanted it to sound like. I just sat down," she continued, "and let things flow out. It's all there and is all indicative of who I am." And with her strong belief in astrology and her songs that represent elements of both rhythm and the blues, it is no accident that Davina chose Best of Both Worlds as the title for her album. "I'm a Pisces," she said. "I have a calm, relaxed side and a spiritual, sexual side. I wanted this album to reflect both." [Wed., March 4, 1998, 9 a.m. PST]
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