Greatest Hits - Nina Simone > Reviews > Finger clicking good

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money

Advantages:	Deep as the ocean blue
Disadvantages:	Nil

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Not usually one to buy 'greatest hits' or compilation albums I caved in an bought 'the great Nina Simone', showing a perfect skinned 60s girl on the front sleeve. With her dark, heavily made-up, fake-eyelashed eyes one might expect cover versions of 60's pop songs about broken hearts and popsicles. But anyone who knows anything about Nina Simone would know to expect great blues and a fantastic vocalist.

Simones smokey, sensual voice accompanies her own distinguished piano arrangements. So deep and sublime, Simones voice has been popular with lovers of jazz, soul, gospel, blues and pop. Yet she has stuck to her own thing throughout her career, avoiding pushes to perform for the more commercial side of the music industry.

This compilation holds three of her most famous tracks, 'I Loves You Porgy', recorded by Bethlehem in 1957 and written by George Gershwin for a folk opera; 'Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood', later recorded by The Animals; 'My Baby Just Cares for me', which was shot to fame due to a relatively recent perfume ad.

'I loves you Porgy' is a majestic, emotive love song, accentuated beautifully by Simone's soft voice and timing. It is an excerpt from 'I Wants to Stay Here', a song in Gershwins musical/opera 'Porgy and Bess'.
I prefer it to the Ella Fitzgerald version I have heard because it is so much more passionate and shows better the desparation that Bess is feeling within the play.

'Love Me or Leave Me', the opening track, is charged with blues and sets a faster pace than most of the other songs on this album. 'Mood Indigo', eloquently named and transfused with jazz is concerned with your typical blues subject of 'you ain't never been as blue as..'.

'Little Girl Blue' starts, surprisingly, with a simplified piano melody of 'Good King Wenceslas', but in a quiet but dramatic crescendo builds up to some beautiful lyrics, whose overall effect is deeply relaxing. 'Don't smoke in bed' provides a tense caution to listeners and their lovers. 'African Mailman' is more up-beat, combining jazz and soul with hip-bopping bass and piano. Purely instrumental, this track illustrates some of Simone's best talents as a pianist.

'Please don't let me be misunderstood', for those who have only ever heard the Animals version, is so soulful and takes on a completely different perspective and sound with female vocals. The well-defined piano throughout this album perfectly attributes Simone's elevated voice. With many more beautiful tracks on this compilation Nina Simone is well worth looking out for.

I think the thing I love about Nina Simone is her talent at creating fantastic music, featuring the piano. She was originally set to become a concert pianist, but because of her race, difficulties were created to prevent her from doing this. Her anger and frustration at the disappointments she has had in her life comes out in her music, which is intense and heartfelt.

Hits missing from this compilation include 'I Put a Spell on You', 'Gin House Blues', her own composition 'To Be Young Gifted and Black', and 'To Love Somebody'.

Simone became a spokesperson for the civil rights movement in America from the 1970's onwards, as talented at addressing political rallies as playing and singing. 'Don't smoke in bed' and 'Plain Gold Ring' have been recently recorded by KD Lang and Nick Cave, bringing her music firmly into the latest musical era. With so many wonderful songs and such talent I am amazed that she has not been more famous, but perhaps that adds a little to her mystique.