Amazon.co.uk Review
At first sight, the pairing of Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy was an unlikely one: Brown, self-styled "Godfather of Go-Go", a hoary veteran of the Washington D.C. jazz and blues scene, Cassidy an almost pathologically shy singer half his age with little experience either in the studio or on stage. But the resulting album--the inspiration of producer Chris Biondo, recorded in 1992--is a minor classic. Brown's gruff, bluesman's voice is the perfect foil to Cassidy's soulful, expressive singing: he growls, she soars. Cassidy could sing any number of styles with equal conviction, but her take on jazz and R&B was arguably her strongest suit: raunchy, bluesy and saturated with emotion. The songs are a mix of standards and wannabe standards. The ballads--"God Bless The Child", "Dark End Of The Street"--stand out, with Cassidy's own, quite magical arrangement of "Over The Rainbow" topping all for sheer emotional power. Chuck Brown is a capable jazz singer, but the selling point here is, of course, Eva Cassidy, whose extraordinary talent is only just beginning to attract the recognition it deserved during her tragically short life. --
Mark Walker