In 1997, Alana Davis released Blame It On Me, a sultry blend of soft rock and R&B that landed on Time magazine’s list of the five best albums of the year.
The first single was a cover of Ani DiFranco’s ’32 Flavors’ that markedly improved upon the original. Another single, ‘Crazy,’ didn’t receive as much attention and Blame It On Me peaked at #157 on the charts.
Davis waited four years before releasing her second album, Fortune Cookies, then left her label and independently released a third album, Surrender Dorothy, in 2005. Her official website hasn’t been updated since 2004, and features a sad little banner that reads “Alana’s new album is coming soon!”
I’m betting that most people reading this entry have never heard of Alana Davis in their lives. Hers was one of those quiet careers that didn’t cause much of a ripple.
With better luck or better promotion, she could have been another Alicia Keys, but instead she’s… what? Working at a bank somewhere? Still performing, but no longer exerting the minimal effort it would require to maintain a website? Dead?
How do you go from having enough of a profile to wind up on the CD shelf of a guy like me to completely disappearing? Lord knows if I put out an album as good as Blame It On Me, I’d at least brag about it on Facebook.
Blame It On Me is indeed a stellar album, one I highly recommend to any fan of this style. ’32 Flavors’ is required listening, and Davis’ own material is equally strong. if you don’t believe me, listen to Jay-Z, who sampled today’s song on one of his tracks.
I remember listening to this album a lot while playing the original DOOM video game, blowing away devil dogs with a chain gun while bopping along to the groove. Good times.
And he’s pouring on my floor
There’s a killer in my hallway
And he’s scratching at my door
I think I might have heard some screaming
I might have heard somebody cry
Now I wonder am I dreaming
Or is my mind telling me a lie
Well I can’t run any further
And I can’t hide anymore
And I think there’s been a murder
Up on the ground floor
There’s a boa in my bathroom
And he’s coiling in my sink
He wants my cats I think
Paranoia in my house now
And I’m balanced on the brink
Well I can’t run any further
And I can’t hide anymore
And I think there’s been a murder
Up on the ground floor
I’m living in a basement flat in a quiet part of town
I bet you wonder where my head is at
When I’m imagining all these sounds
I’d check it out but I’m glued to my chair
I can’t make it to the door
I could be bugging but I’d gladly swear
I just heard a body hit the floor
And I can’t run any further
I can’t hide, I can’t hide anymore
And I think there’s been a murder up above me on the ground
On the ground floor
Meet Me In Montauk 
I think I have heard of her, but probably through you. So is there no info on where she is now? Very strange.
Good song.
And I bet you may be the only person in the world who played DOOM while listening to this album.
I just pulled my copy of Blame it On Me off the shelf. I admit I haven’t done so in many years before today’s SOTD prompted me to do so. I remember liking the album very much, though I can’t remember if I was tempted to purchase it because of something I read (perhaps in Time magazine?) or if it was a gift from this very blogger (I’m guessing the latter). Regardless, you have me intrigued. There must be some way to track down a person who had a record career, however fleeting.