Gold

Performer: Nina Simone
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Unique among female vocalists (or, for that matter, musicians of any kind and in any genre), Nina Simone was something of a sorceress, combining elements of jazz, blues, pop, torch song, and almost everything else into an uncompromising expression of individuality. Given the extensiveness and range of her catalogue, compilations are a good place to start, and the two-disc GOLD package is a winner. From standards ("My Baby Just Cares for Me"), to her inimitable take on Gershwin ("I Loves You Porgy"), to tunes that bear her signature stamp ("See Line Woman;" "Mississippi Goddamn"), GOLD is a glowing testament to one of pop music's most enduring and distinctive stylists.

Nina Simone was a great pianist, a riveting vocalist, and an uncompromising personality. Her sociopolitical consciousness and eclecticism set her apart from the pack. Her interpretations of soul, jazz, blues, and standards are both striking and unique; not for nothing do her fans refer to her as "the Goddess." She established her jazz credentials with an emotive interpretation of George Gershwin 's 'I Loves You Porgy' in 1959. Her influential '60s work included "Forbidden Fruit" and "I Put A Spell On You." One of her singles, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," later became a worldwide hit for the Animals. In later years, she recorded less frequently, but in 1987, while in self-imposed exile in France, she had a fluke hit after her '50s version of "My Baby Just Cares For Me," was resurrected in a TV commercial. Simone died in 2003 at her home in France at age 70.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.3

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