Blue Light 'til Dawn

"Evading categorisation, Cassandra Wilson performs superb renditions of everything from blues, jazz and pop on this excellent recording - which is easily one of her best!

Songs featured include two haunting Robert Johnson numbers ("Come on in My Kitchen" and "Hellhound on My Trail"), a gorgeous version of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" and a wonderful Joni Mitchell cover. Other highlights on 'Blue Light 'til Dawn' are the very soulful "Redbone", "I Can't Stand the Rain" and beautiful title track."
- GEOFF

The voice is more visual than audible; shaded, iridescent, tangible, substantial. It seems to flow effortlessly...

Cassandra Wilson was born and reared in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s and 70s by musician and educator parents. She studied piano for 13 years and played clarinet in the concert and marching bands of junior high school. During the 70s, she could be found performing Joni Mitchell songs behind an acoustic guitar, or in front of a large funk band, or in the company of long-time friends in an all-girls band.

In the eighties, Cassandra moved to New Orleans, and performed with Earl Turbinton and Ellis Marsalis. Quite by accident, she was relocated to East Organe, New Jersey where she made a decision to take her changes on the New York jazz scene. After a stint as the main vocalist with Steve Coleman's M-Base Collective, Cassandra began recording on her own. Her development can be tracked through her discography. From the standards on 'Blue Skies' to the Grammy-winning 'New Moon Daughter', to the combination of originals and interpretations played by a collection of Mississippi and New York musicians on both the 2001 release, 'Belly of the Sun', and 2003 'Glamoured', Cassandra continues to evolve as a vocalist, songwriter, and producer.

For 'Thunderbird' in 2006, Cassandra Wilson explored the outer reaches of jazz with a multilayered sonic approach piloted by pop producer T Bone Burnett and supported by his A-team of studio musicians including guitarist Marc Ribot and drummer Jim Keltner. In 2008 she released 'Loverly', a tantalizing, rhythmically driven collection of jazz standards given new luster with a top-drawer band.

Cassandra Wilson is a world renowned vocalist, songwriter and producer, with an extraordinary following, but at heart she is still a Mississippi girl whose art reflects her deep musical and cultural roots, anchored in the fertile Mississippi soil.