The fact that Nina Simone is not a household name, like Sarah Vaughan, is inconceivable. She's a brilliant musician--terrific singer, Juilliard-trained classical pianist who accompanies herself no matter what the genre is, and composer, arranger, and consummate actress with a song. On this anthology of thirty-one of her best songs, she is at her peak, doing it all with panache and all but hanging her soul out to dry.

In "I Loves You, Porgy," one of the many favorites on this CD, Simone performs the definitive version of this song, keeping it simple with a simple piano, often singing almost a capella, and often in a whisper, creating an honest and very dramatic mood. "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair," a folk tune, becomes a drama here with Simone totally controlling both the voice and accompaniment. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," a passionate original song, is especially poignant and soulful, since we now know she was bipolar (and to some extent self-destructive) for her entire career, singing here about how her intentions are good though she often takes things out on others. Bessie Smith's "Nobody Knows You When You Are Down and Out," related in message, takes on new life in Simone's hands. "I Want a Little Sugar in my Bowl," is an impassioned and unabashedly sexual plea for love.

A number of songs here are from the beginning of the civil rights protest movement in the early sixties, a time of great danger for activist performers. Her own song "Mississippi Goddam," which also references Tennessee and Alabama, is one of the first such songs, with "Four Women" (a song study of women of varying complexions) and their lives depicted vibrantly. "I Wish I Knew How It Felt to be Free," is sung like a revival hymn while "Revolution," is a rousing, hand-clapping inspirational tune. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," sung sensitively, contains greater anger than Billie's powerful, almost naïve, version. Her vocal tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King, "Why (The King of Love is Dead)," a quiet tribute to the man, asks the question "Will the murders never cease?"

For me the highlight of the CD is "Sinnerman," ten minutes of powerful, rock `em - sock `em, hand-clapping, folk revival music, a version you must hear to believe (and which you will never forget)! (It is song #14 of Disc One for an Amazon sample.) Though the CD also features torch songs, blues, soul, gospel, and pop, Simone is primarily a jazz singer extraordinaire, one of the most passionate of the era--but one who can do everything else, too. A CD that shows Simone in all her brilliant moods and at the peak of her powers. n Mary Whipple

Nina Simone at the Village Gate
Nina Simone - Live at Montreux 1976--DVD
The Very Best Of Nina Simone, 1967-1972 : Sugar In My Bowl
I Put A Spell On You: The Autobiography Of Nina Simone
Nina: The Essential Nina Simone

Feel too humbled by her music to write a review.
Nina's great, she's brilliant, and her songs are mesmerizing.
I'm just a fan of hers now, someone who's filled with amazement at her sheer talent and courage.
The only tinge of regret is that she lived in a time when such a vast amount of her energies seemed to have been spent in challenging the obvious wrongs of society at that time. Would her music have been even more beautiful - and more harmonious - if she had lived in our time, or did she derive greater inspiration from the challenges that she faced during hers?

This woman had an incredible voice that could melt people across time. Sadly the versions on the selections here are TERRIBLE. If you like Nina, look elsewhere. There are also major gaps in the selections. "Angel of the Morning" isn't worth including, but a miserable version of "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" is? I may return because of the version of "Trouble in Mind" alone.

Nina Simone has one of the most beautiful, inspiring voices in recorded history. There are greats, and she is right there with them. Whether from the heart with the stage musicals, or her soul rending "The Other Woman", she makes one wish to become a singer just to express feelings with such an honestly pure emotion.

This woman is a great American musical icon. If you have any inclination at all to try something in this style, get this cd. It is an exellent place to start. She is one of the few that really stands out from the rest. I could write paragraphs on her but just know that if you don't like this you probably won't like anything in this style.