Round Nina: A Tribute To Nina Simone
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Various Artists
Round Nina: A Tribute To Nina Simone
[ Verve / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 14 November 2014
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Nina Simone continues to fascinate. Her work will forever be universally celebrated as that of a major figure in American 20th century music. Universal Jazz pays homage to her with this compilation album where her emblematic titles have been revisited by a new generation of Pop and Soul artists.
Sophie Hunger picks up the dark, brooding "I Put a Spell on You", while Gregory Porter revisits the fragile song "Black is the Color". Olivia Ruiz shakes up the hit "My Baby Just Cares (For Me)", and Melody Gardot's appropriation of the enigmatic song "Four Women" is wonderfully spare.
Hindi Zahra contributes a great performance with "Just Say I Love Him", while Ben l'Oncle Soul makes the classic "Feeling Good" his very own. Camille sings a poignant version of "Lilac Wine", Lianne La Havas gives twisting funk to "Baltimore", Youn Sun Nah brings tragedy to "Plain Gold Ring" and Keziah Jones sends her "Sinnerman" reeling.
"A dozen years have passed since Nina Simone left us, yet it's taken until now for a substantial tribute album to emerge. Making up for lost time, this 10-track import pays superlative homage to the singularly vibrant Simone in all her musical hues.
Welcomingly, Round Nina is more a voyage of discovery than an exercise in backwards glancing. Recorded in Paris, in settings ranging from sparse to orchestral, the collection features an international array of vocalists, many of whom will be revelations to most Stateside listeners.
Two Americans, among the finest contemporary vocalists around, also figure into the dynamic guest list. Gregory Porter, accompanied by a somber string orchestra augmented by harpist Christophe Minck, with Melody Gardot providing backing vocals, delivers a dense, near-sinister "Black Is the Color (of My True Love's Hair)." Gardot moves center stage for Simone's most celebrated composition, "Four Women," and her reading is a reminder that the song speaks about black women but for all women who face oppression or discrimination.
All eight remaining tracks are equally impressive, highlighted by British folk singer Lianne La Havas' caliginous "Baltimore," South Korean jazz stylist Youn Sun Nah's nakedly powerful "Plain Gold Ring," Swiss-based Brit Sophie Hunger's explosive "I Put a Spell on You" and a soulful "Feeling Good" from France's Ben L'Oncle Soul (who bears a striking vocal resemblance to Simone). But the standout of this olio is Nigerian Keziah Jones' reggae-tinted "Sinnerman," as seismic a tour de force as anything Simone ever crafted." - Jazz Times
Tracks:
Baltimore - Lianne La Havas
Sinnerman - Keziah Jones
Just Say I Love Him - Hindi Zahra
Black Is The Color (Of My True Love's Hair) - Gregory Porter
My Baby Just Cares For Me - Olivia Ruiz
Feeling Good - Ben L'Oncle Soul
Four Women - Melody Gardot
Plain Gold Ring - Youn Sun Nah
I Put A Spell On You - Sophie Hunger
Lilac Wine - Camille
