Midnight Skylark
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6/14/2007 9:00:46 PM
The Songstress and Her Revolution
With all the tributes now flowing in honor of the late great singer Nina Simone, this seems a good time to present a short review of FEELING GOOD, THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE, which is one of many compilations of her work:
The Songstress and Her Revolution
The great author James Baldwin once stated that "the artist has always been a disturber of the peace in some way." When we hear Nina Simone sing with composed outrage such songs as "Mississippi Goddam," and "Work Song," in protest against the overt racism practiced during the 1960s in the southern U.S., we know that hers was indeed a politically charged consciousness.
The singer's recording of "Mississippi Goddam" was so controversial when first released that Simone would come to attribute the decline of her career in the U.S., and her relocation to France, to the fallout that followed. However, the 20 songs gathered on FEELING GOOD, THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE, demonstrate that the greater range of her musical talents went far beyond social or political protest.
Trained as a classical pianist at the famed Juilliard School of Music, Simone was an extraordinary interpreter of song lyrics as well as of musical genres. In the title track of this CD, she draws listeners into an inspired celebration of life with a song that dozens of artists are now covering in 2007 (Randy Crawford and Michael Buble among them). She could croon seductively and vulnerably in songs like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Ne Me Quitte Pas," and "I Put a Spell on You." And yet she could also go straight to church on the gospel presentations "Take Me to the Water" and "I'm Going Back Home."
Talent of such amazing range and caliber doesn't pop up every decade. This generous sampling of Simone's genius makes one very glad she came along and gave the world as much as she could when she did. Most of us would be doing pretty good if we manage to give half as much.
by Midnight Skylark Aberjhani
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