Eva Cassidy - Songbird

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Free Music Notes for Songbird

Free Music Review: Heavenly is an understatement. 100 stars for Eva Cassidy
Hit: 5 Stars

The CD starts out with a heartfelt and oh so clear version of Sting's "Fields of Gold" that does not deviate much from the original but her honesty makes the song even more evocative. Next comes "Wade In The Water", which brings out her bluesy side with a slight touch of Dusty Spingfield circa her "Dusty in Memphis" period. The horns bring the song home. "Autumn Leaves" showcases her jazzy chops. Her rich and clear voice makes this song so soothing. "Wayfaring Stranger" is the only song that does not stand out from the rest.

Her interpretation of "Songbird" starts out exactly likes Christine McVie's version, but it immediately takes off into something magical which not only makes the song her own but it may become THE definitive version. It is so beautiful and so sounds so vital, but like the song it's a little bittersweet to hear Eva and think that she did not have more time to continue growing and entertaining. "Time Is A Healer" is a great choice to follow "Songbird" as it has a gospel vibe and makes the bittersweet less bitter. "I Know You By Heart" has a little Enya feels to it, but yet again it's all Eva. At first listen I was not enamored of her take on "People Get Ready", but she won me over is the song as a whole has a strong undercurrent of strength in what first feels a little tepid. Eva is anything but tepid. "Oh, I Had A Golden Thread" starts off slowly and builds into the song that best showcases a limitless range. The release closes with what can only be called a stunning version of "Over The Rainbow" which, like "Songbird", starts out very close to the original and then makes it her own with a restraint that is as strong as the biggest wail and an accompaniment that is signature Eva and in fact has Eva singing and playing all the parts.

In this release Eva proves that she can sings pop, blues, jazz, gospel, and standards with equal grace and honesty. I can think of few artists who manage to showcase such a variety of genres and it never feels false. Not to take anything away from the talented Norah Jones, but if Eva were alive today there is no doubt in my mind that she would be embraced by an equal or greater number of people as Eva's voice and ability to interpret a song may be second to none. Some have complained that the production values are not state of the art and there is no question that said is the case, BUT I'd rather have this any day versus overproduced releases that tend to whitewash much of the humanity of great performers. This is not a perfect release but listeners and reviewers should keep in mind that many of these songs are sung "live" and in many ways respects represents simply a document of songs that she loved and would have rerecorded had she lived long enough to get money from one of the labels to work with state of the art production values. She still EASILY earns my 5 star review and the wish that she is as at peace as I feel when I listen to her sing. God bless.

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