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Nina SimoneMar 25, 2009
This is one of Nina's best albums - gritty, sad, joyful, raw. Each song is wonderful and familiar.
A Mystical phenomenonDec 28, 2007
I first heard Nina when I had just left university and was travelling with some friends. I was deeply moved by the sound of her voice and have always found her music deeply haunting and very fascinating.
25 years on and I still listen to Nina, particulalrly when I am in my own space. She is not only a legendary musician but a Mystical phenomenon.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Classic SimoneAug 12, 2007
For Nina Simone fans it doesnt get any better than this two-cd purchase. These are two classic albums that show the wide range of talent, feeling, and soul this woman had. Simone was a consumate artist. I strongly reccommend this purchase!!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A world legendary live performance.Mar 04, 2004
In what was to become a world legendary live performance, Nina Simone's version of summertime is like a religious experience. It catches you by surprise. Although wonderful renditions of it exist in the repertory of the greats such as Ella and Louie, Lena Horne, and Sarah Vaughan, they don't come close to Nina's hypnotic live, smokey, and magical delivery. Like the Audience, every time I hear this, I slowly fall under the spell of the dreamlike sounds she skillfully weaves out of this piece improvising with her piano and voice and taking it to a level above and beyond other versions I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. I don't think I can say enough good things about it--nevermind the whole live performance.
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
great early Nina Simone releases on cdSep 08, 2003
This collection encompasses Simone's first two releases from the Colpix Label, a division of Columbia Pictures..when Darryl F Zanuck's sister heard Nina Simone's great artistry, she offered the singer a better deal than the one she got with Bethlehem. In fact, after only one recording and her #7 hit "I Loves You Porgy" from "Porgy & Bess", Nina was unhappy. She wasn't being promoted much, and the lucrative deal was just what she needed. With her Colpix years, she was able to establish a reputation as an individual artist who could incorporate folk and blues seamlessly with jazz, while adding a classical flair. Her first recording for Colpix, "The Amazing Nina Simone", includes a haunting rendition of "(Theme from) Middle of the Night", a Columbia Picture. Likewise, other great songs like "Solitaire," "That's Him Over There", "Tomorrow (We Will Meet Once More" and "It Might as Well Be Spring" balance more uptempo numbers like "Stompin' at The Savoy," "Chilly Winds Don't Blow", and "Children Go Where I Send You." Simone's next album, "Nina Simone at Town Hall," showcases her talent as a pianist. Outstanding pieces include "Theme from Samson & Delilah (instrumental), "Black Swan", and "Under The Lowest (instrumental). Vocal standouts are her interpretation of the folk ballad "Black is The Color of My True Love's Hair" and "You Can Have Him". As all of Nina Simone's US releases are now available on cd, this is a great place to start, but don't ignore her first recording for Bethlehem Records, "Jazz As Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club a.k.a. Little Girl Blue." That release includes some songs that were later compiled after Simone had left Bethlehem onto an album featuring other old Bethlehem artists, Chris Connor and Carmen McRae (Nina Simone and Her Friends). Also worth it's purchase is Nina Simone - Forbidden Fruit which is also a double album release on Collectables...
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based on 10 reviews
