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Review
It was in 2000 that Radio 2 breakfast presenter Terry Wogan first started playing tracks by a totally obscure American singer who’d died four years earlier.
The clarity of her folksy voice applied to a broad array of styles and engaging versions of some classic material caused a sensation, triggering an amazing bitter-sweet success story that eventually resulted in three chart-topping albums, a number one single and over eight million sales. Seemingly everything she ever recorded was re-released and the story of a life so cruelly curtailed by cancer at 33 even became a best-selling book.
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly by any undiscovered Cassidy material left to trawl, the 10th anniversary of her Songbird compilation topping the UK album chart is marked by a new collection of previously unreleased tracks which places her in a fresh context. All but one of the songs included have surfaced previously, but the difference here is that the only accompaniment comes from Cassidy’s own gentle guitar work on an entirely solo collection.
In this pure, exposed state you do get an alternative handle on an artist whose other releases have sometimes too easily portrayed her at the bland end of MOR. Her wailing, slowed-down interpretation of San Francisco Bay Blues – the one track we haven’t heard her sing before – puts a new light not only on her but Jesse Fuller’s song itself. Her soulful arrangement of Over the Rainbow is a revelation, too – radically different to her other versions, it turns the old Judy Garland warhorse into a bluesy distress call.
Desultory versions of Paul Simon’s Kathy’s Song and two Cyndi Lauper hits, Time After Time and True Colours, are less successful; but when she really pours herself into a lyric, as on People Get Ready and Autumn Leaves, we get a measure of her true standard – and sadly unfulfilled potential – as a singer. The words of Sandy Denny’s Who Knows Where the Time Goes have scarcely sounded more poignant given the tragedy awaiting her, while the unaccompanied I Know You By Heart, which ends the album, carries enduring emotional impact.
--Colin Irwin
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
My LifeThis won't be a long review because losing Eva still breaks my heart.
We're very lucky to live in an area that encourages musicians and singers. The Washington, DC area is not considered to be a center of the music industry but there is quite a bit of work for our area musicians. Since the chances of hitting the big time are almost nonexistent, most of the musicians here either grew up here of moved to this area because they like to work every day, and because they work every day, they're great musicians. That sets up a very supportive, noncompetitive atmosphere and the musicians here embrace that atmosphere. That's why Grace Griffith sent Eva's tapes to Blix Street Records.
Grace was working on her first record for Blix Street (Minstrel Song) and we were all very excited with and for her. Grace came into the studio one day and asked if I thought she should send Eva's tapes to Blix St. I told her I thought she should wait a couple of months to make sure her record went smoothly and to be sure Bill Straw who runs the company would be good to work with since Eva's parents were still grieving and I wanted to be sure that we couldn't possibly add to that grief in any way.
Well, she sent them anyway, which is really just what she should have done. Bill Straw and Blix Street did everything right. When Eva's music started to spread, they manufactured enough, they followed the flow of interest and stepped up to dedicate their lives to making Eva's music available. People around the world fell in love with Eva and her music just like we love her here. (Yes, we do and did love Eva here but the people who write books don't talk to us.)
The first time I heard Eva's music coming out of a store front I was on tour in New Zealand, just walking down the street. I was so overwhelmed I sat down on the street and cried. (Ah, sorry Christchurch. Ha.)
Eva's music makes the world a better place. Musicians here are still finding rehearsal tapes and donating them to the cause. Chris Biondo, Eva's producer and long time friend is still working to make sure every note Eva sang can be heard in it's best possible light.
That's why you need to buy this record.
And that also brings us back to Grace Griffith. Grace took a back seat to Eva for quite a while and she was happy to but while we were finishing her record we found out that Grace had Parkinson's. I don't have to tell you how tough that is.
The BBC 2 is now starting to play Grace's music. It's too early to know what will happen for Grace. All I can say is I hope you buy and carefully listen to Eva and then add the music of Grace Griffith to your ears and heart. After all, Grace was Eva's favorite singer. Now it looks like Eva can help Grace in return. Eva would be proud.
Thank you to all of the people who love Eva's music. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Marcy Marxer
(working class musician, played on Eva's music, producer for Grace Griffith, friend of Chris Biondo, 14 Grammy nominations in several categories, 2 Grammy wins for production and children's music...and you've probably never heard my name. Ha. OK, back to work. Love DC.)
We're very lucky to live in an area that encourages musicians and singers. The Washington, DC area is not considered to be a center of the music industry but there is quite a bit of work for our area musicians. Since the chances of hitting the big time are almost nonexistent, most of the musicians here either grew up here of moved to this area because they like to work every day, and because they work every day, they're great musicians. That sets up a very supportive, noncompetitive atmosphere and the musicians here embrace that atmosphere. That's why Grace Griffith sent Eva's tapes to Blix Street Records.
Grace was working on her first record for Blix Street (Minstrel Song) and we were all very excited with and for her. Grace came into the studio one day and asked if I thought she should send Eva's tapes to Blix St. I told her I thought she should wait a couple of months to make sure her record went smoothly and to be sure Bill Straw who runs the company would be good to work with since Eva's parents were still grieving and I wanted to be sure that we couldn't possibly add to that grief in any way.
Well, she sent them anyway, which is really just what she should have done. Bill Straw and Blix Street did everything right. When Eva's music started to spread, they manufactured enough, they followed the flow of interest and stepped up to dedicate their lives to making Eva's music available. People around the world fell in love with Eva and her music just like we love her here. (Yes, we do and did love Eva here but the people who write books don't talk to us.)
The first time I heard Eva's music coming out of a store front I was on tour in New Zealand, just walking down the street. I was so overwhelmed I sat down on the street and cried. (Ah, sorry Christchurch. Ha.)
Eva's music makes the world a better place. Musicians here are still finding rehearsal tapes and donating them to the cause. Chris Biondo, Eva's producer and long time friend is still working to make sure every note Eva sang can be heard in it's best possible light.
That's why you need to buy this record.
And that also brings us back to Grace Griffith. Grace took a back seat to Eva for quite a while and she was happy to but while we were finishing her record we found out that Grace had Parkinson's. I don't have to tell you how tough that is.
The BBC 2 is now starting to play Grace's music. It's too early to know what will happen for Grace. All I can say is I hope you buy and carefully listen to Eva and then add the music of Grace Griffith to your ears and heart. After all, Grace was Eva's favorite singer. Now it looks like Eva can help Grace in return. Eva would be proud.
Thank you to all of the people who love Eva's music. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Marcy Marxer
(working class musician, played on Eva's music, producer for Grace Griffith, friend of Chris Biondo, 14 Grammy nominations in several categories, 2 Grammy wins for production and children's music...and you've probably never heard my name. Ha. OK, back to work. Love DC.)
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is not just another cheap Cassidy cash-in, this collection of previously unreleased solo performances focuses on her beautiful folk singer voice with a collection of stripped back performances of only her voice and her own gentle guitar work on an entirely solo collection.
This is a great listen and a wonderful addition to my collection
This is a great listen and a wonderful addition to my collection
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album called Simply Eva is "Simply" the best Eva Cassidy release to date.
There has been some criticism of this release based on the fact that all of the songs have been released before. And although it is true that these "songs" have been released before, they were different versions. The versions on this album are all united together by the fact that they are all acoustic versions. Each track features just Eva and her Guitar or just Eva. This makes this album unique. It stands out above the earlier albums in this respect. Not only that, but you truly get the cream of what Eva Cassidy is all about.
I have to say that this album is one of my all time favourite albums. And it certainly is the best one by Eva Cassidy.
We get the fantastic voice and the great guitar playing. We get the powerful and beautiful expressive connection through the performance not only to the songs themselves, but also to Eva herself. She really brings the songs to life and gives them their maximum potential. She has perfect pitch and harmony. She has this incredible talent to make the song all hers. Each song has its unique Eva Cassidy interpretation that almost turns even an old song into a new one. Eva had that edge of injecting a new twist of life to a song.
This album illustrates these points more than ever. The arrangments are not cluttered with other instruments and sounds. They are not needed. We can see that with the right performer you can bring out the best in a song with the simplest of arrangment. Both vocals and guitar work are excellent.
Also this programme of tracks is a fine collection of songs. "Songbird" is great. "True Colours" is better treated here than either Cyndi Lauper or Phil Collins versions. The wonderful Sandy Denny song "Who knows where the time goes" gets an incredible rendition and Paul Simon's "Kathy's song" is given beautiful interpretation. I even prefer the arrangement of "wade in the water" to the version released before. And the same can be said for "Time after time" another Cyndi Lauper song.
The song "somewhere over the rainbow" was the song that made her famous in the UK because of its unique interpretation by Eva. She gave the song a whole new audience and a new lease of life. This acoustic version on this album is fabulous.
Eva was always best on her more acoustic and folkie recordings so this album is pure magic.
Most of the tracks were recorded live but full marks must go to the people involved in the recording engineering on all the tracks and equal praise should go to Bill Straw who compiled and sequenced the album. The Production is excellent and the sound mastering is very good.
There has been some criticism of this release based on the fact that all of the songs have been released before. And although it is true that these "songs" have been released before, they were different versions. The versions on this album are all united together by the fact that they are all acoustic versions. Each track features just Eva and her Guitar or just Eva. This makes this album unique. It stands out above the earlier albums in this respect. Not only that, but you truly get the cream of what Eva Cassidy is all about.
I have to say that this album is one of my all time favourite albums. And it certainly is the best one by Eva Cassidy.
We get the fantastic voice and the great guitar playing. We get the powerful and beautiful expressive connection through the performance not only to the songs themselves, but also to Eva herself. She really brings the songs to life and gives them their maximum potential. She has perfect pitch and harmony. She has this incredible talent to make the song all hers. Each song has its unique Eva Cassidy interpretation that almost turns even an old song into a new one. Eva had that edge of injecting a new twist of life to a song.
This album illustrates these points more than ever. The arrangments are not cluttered with other instruments and sounds. They are not needed. We can see that with the right performer you can bring out the best in a song with the simplest of arrangment. Both vocals and guitar work are excellent.
Also this programme of tracks is a fine collection of songs. "Songbird" is great. "True Colours" is better treated here than either Cyndi Lauper or Phil Collins versions. The wonderful Sandy Denny song "Who knows where the time goes" gets an incredible rendition and Paul Simon's "Kathy's song" is given beautiful interpretation. I even prefer the arrangement of "wade in the water" to the version released before. And the same can be said for "Time after time" another Cyndi Lauper song.
The song "somewhere over the rainbow" was the song that made her famous in the UK because of its unique interpretation by Eva. She gave the song a whole new audience and a new lease of life. This acoustic version on this album is fabulous.
Eva was always best on her more acoustic and folkie recordings so this album is pure magic.
Most of the tracks were recorded live but full marks must go to the people involved in the recording engineering on all the tracks and equal praise should go to Bill Straw who compiled and sequenced the album. The Production is excellent and the sound mastering is very good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not typically Eva
I am a relatively recent convert to the Eva Cassidy cult, in that I did not know of her until perhaps 2 or 3 years ago when several of her recordings were frequently heard on the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Claptonian
Simply the best!
Absolutely loved it -cant stop playing the CD. I have her others but love this one. Its fantastic that her music is still coming out.
Published 4 months ago by wizpubsist
Bliss
Eva has a truly wonderful voice and this album showcases her tonal quality and with just the simplicity of a guitar to accompany her.
Bliss.
Bliss.
Published 5 months ago by A. J. Ward
At her best
Already have five Eva Cassidy CDs and love them, but this is different. Even where songs are duplicated the versions here are worth having as alternatives. Read more
Published 8 months ago by gnomen
simply EVA
I was already a fan of hers and did wonder whether purchasing this was a waste of time as I have several CD's of hers. The answer is simply NO. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Thomas Page
Utterly fabulous 'Simply EVA'
I've been a music lover for quite a while and thought I'd heard it all until 'Simply Eva'. For me, it is a revelation, it's put pure solo effort music back in the top drawer where... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Professional cynic
Simply Eva DVD
For fans of Eva Cassidy this is a must have. 12 unreleased acoustic tracks including Songbird, True Colours, and her never to be forgotten version of Over the Rainbow are a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by deanna
Stunning
This is surely one of the best collections of Eva. As titled "Simply Eva" but so beautiful. I have, I believe, all that has been released but this is one of my favourites.
Published 12 months ago by Timbo
beautiful voice but not the best example of it
I wanted to check out Eva's stuff as I've heard snatches here and there. Her voice is amazing but I think I would have been better off getting the first album released (Songbird)... Read more
Published 12 months ago by VTR
Eva's magic on old songs
Many of the songs you will hear on this cd are on others in the Eva Cassidy collection. But, Eva has added her own magic to these classics to make it sound as if you've never heard... Read more
Published 12 months ago by IAN WARD
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