yes, indeed, people. and the mispelling of the word "crawl" in the title was INTENTIONAL! This is a true jazzy songbird, not a sibialnt snake shushing through the grashhhh!!

Simply, this isn't one of Cassandra's best. Her last 2-3 cd's have relied too much on pop covers of various merit which really diminishes the effectiveness of one of the most marvellous voices in jazz-blues. I have seen her live several times and she outstanding as a performer and unequalled in the jazz-blues genre, but straying so far (for a wider commercial appeal?) from her blues roots only serves to murk her vocal and musical identity. My fear is this wonderful vocalist will end up in the same situation as Etta James who abandoned her Texas blues roots for a not very convincing or engaging party rock-blues repertoire.

I really love this new album! It is different from her usual style but it's still Cassandra all the same. I love the way her smoky voice rides and intertwines with the deep base and percussions.Especially tracks like "Closer to You", "It would Be So Easy", "Poet" and "Strike a Match". You have a great introduction to her new style with "Go to Mexico" and of course her classic "bluesy" ballad styles with "Easy Rider" and "Red River Valley". My husband who had never heard of her can't get enough of this new album!
The old adage rings true...Like fine wine, she get's better with age!

Great fan of Cassandra Wilson, especially her wonderful sense of instrumental colour in her arrangements. This, however, (maybe - probably - intentionally) is entirely different. The recording is just SO BAD that I can't really even listen to anything straight through. Hugely dissappointing if played on anything but a car radio (at speed).

Her voice still has the magic & she translates every song very nicely into her own, personal story. Easy Rider & Tarot are a couple of the outstanding pieces on the record. I'm always biased to the very first song that I hear on each album... so "Go To Mexico" is an exceptionally well-done effort as well. Send us another live album sometime soon!

Surprise. Cassandra Wilson's style falls into R&B. Her jazzy sexy voice rules. "Go to Mexico", "Closer to You", and "It Would Be So Easy" should be rotated regularly on the soul R&B radio stations. She seems to stretch her self but it seems to be extremely easily done. She is a natural and no style transcends her capability. The producer however seems to maintain her eclectic spirit somehow, blending in bluesy tones, rugged acoustic percussion, and, ofcourse, the big acoustic bass. Oh yeah and the voice. What an awesome tone it has. "Tarot" of course puts her at home and at ease. It is reminiscent of the eclectic style of her previous CD. "Dont give up, Dont walk away" is fitting lyric for this album. Every song seems to be a master piece. "Easy Rider" was extremely refreshing. Cassandra does blues in a rugged way but it always appears smooth, a contradiction, but that's what makes her voice so unique. Overall it is an excellent CD and I embrace the voice and the new style.

I don't understand much of this "Cassandra's abandoned jazz" hoopla from the critics. Cassandra Wilson has never been some ossified jazz-standards-bearer. And thank God for that. Let us not forget that it was as a member of Steve Coleman's free-funk outfit, M-Base Collective, that Cassandra received attention not only for her enchanting good looks but also for her love and ability to sing a wide variety of material. Anyway, it was with 1995's NEW MOON DAUGHTER that Cassandra has been steadily adopting more folk/blues-oriented styles.

THUNDERBIRD, produced by T-Bone Burnett, admittedly does contain more keyboards and percussion with lots of programming and drum looping than Cassandra's previous several recordings. Nevertheless, she still preserves her trademark sensual intimacy with whatever song she picks up. What remains constant is that incantory voice, evoking late night seduction and imminent passion.

Although Cassandra Wilson has been doin' her thing for decades, somehow she still never seemed to get the popularity as other great female jazz vocalists have gotten. Still, Cassandra came back and made her latest album Thunderbird a disc of mostly covers. And she did it very well.

Like another legendary soulful songstress, Etta James, did on her latest (cover) album Let's Roll, Cassandra also chose not to necessarily do all soul songs, but rock songs with soul updates. This is especially shown on Jakob Dylan's "Closer to You". But Ms. Wilson also does well on traditional pieces, like "Red River Valley" and "Easy Rider". Original songs like "Tarot" and "Poet" further impress.

There isn't anything bad to say about this album, except that maybe people will probably wish there was more, considering it's a mere ten tracks in length. Then again, it's short and sweet, which makes it all the more entertaining. Cop it.

Anthony Rupert

Cassandra Wilson started her recording career twenty years ago as an actual jazz singer, compared to Betty Carter in her readings of the standard repertoire. But by the time she signed with Blue Note in 1993, she was stretching the boundaries on her way to creating the unclassifiable genre-free music for which she's become known. (Her second Blue Note disc, New Moon Daughter, included songs by The Monkees, Hank Williams, Billie Holiday, U2, Hoagy Carmichael and Neil Young.)

Her new CD, thunderbird, is about as far from what most of us think of as jazz as a quote-jazz singer-unquote can get. When I loaded it onto my iPod, I couldn't decide what genre to assign it, finally settling on "blues," though that's not really accurate either. One thing for certain though-she is one sensual, sexy singer.

Here, producer T-Bone Burnett puts her into that dense, rootsy aural atmosphere that is his trademark. Instruments and ambient sounds appear, then recede, and there's a mystical mistiness hanging over the whole affair like a swamp full of Spanish moss out in some dark, voodoo-laced rural countryside far away from the main drag. The Mississippi-born Wilson sounds right at home.

There's Willie Dixon's "I Want to Be Loved," Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Easy Rider" and a slooooowwwww walk through the old cowboy song, "Red River Valley;" lots of slide guitar; a touch of Dylan (Jakob, not Bob); and a sample of the Wild Tchoupitoulas on the magnificent opener, "Go to Mexico." Wilson's take on Burnett's "Lost," accompanied only by Marc Ribot's guitar, is beautifully seductive, and her own "Poet" is something else: "When we make love, we change the patterns of the weather...you make me a poet."

Unlike the traditional jazz album where a bunch of musicians come in for a few hours of live recording, this is a producer's record, painstakingly assembled track by track and probably unrepeatable in concert. Not what you useta expect from Blue Note, but one hell of an album for those with open minds and open ears.

Originally published in Port Folio Weekly, 4/11/06
Copyright 2006 Port Folio Weekly. Used by Permission.

This is the most beautiful, interesting, compelling CD I've heard in many months. Wilson's smoky vocals are as amazing as ever. What sets this CD apart from her other efforts is the experimental, electronic sounds -- it defies labeling or classification. I usually jump around on a CD, but here I am listening to this one all the way through -- and over again!

Cassandra Wilson's "Thunderbird", like every album of hers that came before, does not sound like its predecessors. This album finds Wilson exploring electric blues, programmed beats, and any number of sounds that come floating in and out. The resulting stew is, honestly, a bit unfulfilling-- I'm generally all for this sort of experimentation, but it seems the best pieces are the more conventional ones.

Opener "Go to Mexico" certainly sets the mood for the record-- a slight piano line juxtaposes uncomfortably next to a funky programmed beat with Wilson's vocal floating on top, but all in all, I don't feel much about it. Likewise, the smokey r&b sounds of "It Would Be So Easy" miss me-- quite honestly, it sounds like a bluesy modern pop song. Still, this mix of old and modern doesn't alkways miss-- Jakob Dylan's "Closer to You" gets a fine reading, with the programming and delicate melody providing a fine platform on which Wilson's sultry vocal hits and T.Bone Burnett's "Strike a Match" sinks into a deep funk rhythm and modern vibe that works fantatically with Wilson. The difference seems to be that on this one, Wilson adjusted herself somewhat to fit the setting, whereas the other ones feel a bit awkward.

Mind you, the whole album doesn't hold this modern edge-- "Easy Rider" features a quiet vocal against a dry slide guitar before picking up a lilting rhyhthm, "Poet" revolves around a circular beat and a superb electric bass performance by Reginald Veal (reminiscent of the work of Jamaaladeen Tacuma) and Willie Dixon's "I Want to Be Loved" gets a deep blues reading, with Wilson reaching into her upper register and guest Keb Mo providing powerful guitar leads. Two standout tracks pit Wilson against a guitarist-- Colin Linden on slide for the somewhat overlong "Red River Valley" and one of my personal favorites, Marc Ribot, on a breathtakingly beautiful reading of Burnett's "Lost"-- Ribot is sympathetic and sweet, Wilson is infused with passion and a slight sense of haunting.

In the end, it finishes off as an inconsistent album-- there's certainly enough enjoyable material to make this worth investigation, but Wilson's done better.

I am a big fan of Cassandra Wilson and was duped into buying this disc after reading reviews here and elsewhere. I knew after the first 3 songs that trouble was brewing as they all sounded alike. Indeed, the entire thing suffers from the same muddy mix and monotone vocals. What a waste. No diversity in song selection and no vocal range. She should lose T-Bone Burnett for her next effort. *Note* She has displayed this same poor judgment in concert with her song list.

Ever since 1993's Blue Light Til Dawn, Cassandra Wilson has graciously amazed me with the versatility of her dramatic range, the deep sensuality of her voice and the boldness of her repertory choices.

In each case since then, Cassandra has explored and perform songs that apparently would not belong together-"Last Train to Clarksville," "Skylark" and "Harvest Moon" in New Moon Daughter, or "Tupelo Honey" and Robert Johnson's "Come On in My Kitchen" in Blue Light Til Dawn-and made them perfect together, without ever forcing any of them to sound alike.

Much of this is also due to the people she's chosen to work with and the magic they've been able to create together. This is also true of Thunderbird, both the distinct intention not to rest on her laurels musically and finding again the sound that enriches the songs included. Particularly the guitars of Marc Ribot and Colin Linden-alone and together- Jim Keltner's drums, and the production of T-Bone Burnett, which contributes to the album's sound as much as any instrument featured here.

The most salient difference throughout Thunderbird is the addition of Electronica. Again, like other genres inform former albums, its use is tasteful and economic and it does not saturate nor distort Wilson's Jazz roots and the intimacy of her phrasing and tone.

As far as songs that stand out, at least to my taste, are Jacob Dylan's "Closer To You," the two traditional tunes re-arranged by Wilson and others -"Easy Rider" and "Red River Valley"-and "Lost" in which Wilson is accompanied only by Ribot's thoughtful guitar.

Although this is not her best nor most groundbreaking work- Blue Light Til Dawn and New Moon Daughter deserve such honor-Thunderbird still a worthy outing, and deserving of your attention.

For some reason Cassandra Wilson is catalogued as a jazz singer. Although she records for Blue Note, and has sung standards from the Great American Songbook, she has also performed such "non-jazz singer" songs as the Monkees' "The Last Train to Clarksville", Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on my Trail", Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey", and on this one, "Red River Valley."

Really, she's uncategorizable, and this album accuentates the point.

This album is heavy on electric guitar, electric bass, drums, reverb, overdubbing, and overtones. This album ought to play more and better on alt. rock radio statons than on jazz. Considering the producer is T Bone Burnett, that should come as no surprise to anybody.

Consider the "altered consciousness layers of sound" groove of "Tarot" (complete with Ms. Wilson on a very complimentary acoustic guitar), "Go to Mexico" and "Poet". These sound like a cross between Pink Floyd and Radiohead.

Or consider the blues licks on the traditional "Easy Rider" and on Willie Dixon's "I Want to be Loved". These sound like later-career Eric Clapton.

And then there's the aforementioned "Red River Valley." With considerable overtones from Colin Linden's guitar, this sounds like Bill Frisell with anyone from Lizz Wright to Renee Fleming.

I'm giving this 5 stars because it's truly an original. For all of the layers of sound, the overall tone of this album consistently matches Ms. Wilson's voice: dark, smoky, sinewy, suggestive yet understated. And I can't help but note: On "Valley", Ms. Wilson manages to hit a clear low-low G. (I.e., a "G" in a second-bass range) I don't believe I've ever heard a woman singer hit as low and clear a note as that. All of this doesn't mean that this is my favorite 5-star album, necessarily; but it is the best thing released in 2006 I've heard so far this year. RC

I was very disappointed with Cassandra Wilson's latest effort, Thunderbird. I thought that it lacked "Thunder" and that down home gutsy sound that Wilson is noted for. The tracks weren't interesting and fell short on musical depth.

I have been anxiously waiting fot this album to come out. It's definitely not what I expected. I expected something like "Glamoured" but, this album is so much better than "Glamoured". Yes, it's different, but in a very good way. I really like how the album was produced, thanks to T Bone Burnett, he really added that "WOW" that makes this album one of the best in my whole CD collection. The songs range from upbeat and excitings songs like "Go To Mexico", "Easy Rider", and "Strike A Match", to soft and romantic songs like "Red River Valley", "Lost", and "Tarot", and everything in between (the rest of the album).

Even though it's what I and probably a lot of other Cassandra Wilson's fans expects, it's still a fantastic album, and one of Cassandra's best.

I have loved Cassandra's work since I was introduced to her in the mid-90's. I've enjoyed watching her grow as an artist and was very much anxious to get the Thunderbird CD. Although I love her previous projects, I think the pairing of CW with T-Bone Burnett was such a wonderful coupe. The sounds are lush and modern, but don't take away from the artistry or emotion that Wilson has always been able to convey through her music. I like the inclusion of the electronic beats and that they are pretty understated. It adds another layer to her sound without destroying it. I'm very pleased with this CD and have been listening to it non-stop since I purchased it.

What happened to the track listings? What happened to the music samples for this and many other recent releases???

Cassandra Wilson is my favorite (and I think the best by a mile) female vocalist on the "jazz" scene (although she mines a wide scope of musical styles on each of her outings and somewhat defies categorization). She has ruled since I first heard BLUE LIGHT 'TIL DAWN ten+ years ago. I didn't think she could ever match the intensity of the title track, her smoldering version of "You Don't Know What Love Is," and the musical variety of the remaining tracks. She went somewhere different--more of a continuation, really--on NEW MOON DAUGHTER, which would finish a really close second in my "favorite Cassandra CD" list. She dropped off a bit on TRAVLING MILES, BELLY OF THE SOUTH, and, if I could be objective (which I really can't), GLAMOURED was a disappointment. She has worked on several other projects in the meantime, also, most notably Wynton Marsalis' BLOOD ON THE FIELDS and an intriguing duo CD with pianist Jacky Terrason.

Long intro for this CD, which is clearly her most solid effort, both vocally and instrumentally, since BLTD and NMD. "Go to Mexico," track one, is a great song with exceptional instrumentation behind her unmatched vocals. "Closer to You" has an awesome bass solo that runs for quite some time toward the end of the track, which simply shows how much Wilson values "the whole package" in her recordings. "Easy Rider" is as good a song as she's ever done, with a superb guitar solo in the middle. "It Would Be So Easy" has some very intriguing vocal sampling and electronic elements that are rare in more traditional, "safe" jazz. "Red River Valley," with just electric guitar accompaniment, shows her confidence in her voice and a willingness to "empty out" the sound for a track on occasion. The bluesy "I Want To Be Loved" would fit on several of her previous CDs quite nicely and is a perfect match for her voice. "Strike a Match" reminds me of a mix of couple of tracks off BLTD ("Sankofa" + "Estrellas"), with its rhythmic intensity and strong drum parts. "Tarot" ends the CD with a nice overdubbed vocal and a lighter mood than the previous couple of tracks. Quite simply, she is the whole package. With T Bone Burnett at the helm (wow, why have these two not hooked up sooner than this. . . ?!?), Cassandra Wilson can showcase her stunning vocal variety and agility, keep the smoky sound that has made her a star at the forefront, and allow some great instrumentalists/accompanists showcase their talents, as well. There's room for everybody.

I can't imagine anybody being new to Cassandra Wilson, but, if you are, this is a great place to start! If this sound is good for you, go back to BLUE LIGHT 'TIL DAWN and NEW MOON DAUGHTER, then dig back through her old catalog (JUMPWORLD, SHE WHO WEEPS, BLUE SKIES). She brings the goods every time out, but this effort is more focused--yet still diverse--than her last. It was well worth the wait. . . . .

Have you ever experienced something that defies description? In other words, there's not a ready made label that applies in the moment you're searching for words to articulate your experience... Ingenuity abounds on THUNDERBIRD, the glistening new release from the alluring singer/songwriter, Cassandra Wilson. The project parallel's the artist's current life as a New York resident who has migrated from Mississippi and Louisiana... THUNDERBIRD exudes big city charisma, with deep, southern (dare I say, swampy) roots. The divine chanteuse's voice is as honey-dipped as ever...to the point of captivation. This combined with the generous presence of organic instrumentation makes for a deep and enchanting listening event. CW's new originals are stunning. My favorites include the jazzy, pop groove "Go To Mexico," the textured and intriguing, "It Would Be So Easy," and the blues and jazz infused, sensual, "Poet," which features Keb Mo on guitars. A big surprise for me was the sweet cover of a favorite Wallflowers tune (Jakob Dylan), "Closer To You." In her first outing with artfully courageous producer T Bone Burnett (credits include Elvis Costello's King of America, Counting Crow's August and Everything After, four Grammy Awards for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and he recently tutored Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for their leads in the movie Walk The Line) Cassandra definitely breaks new ground with this 10 track excursion; a tremendous feat given her intensive groundbreaking past. According to the singer's website, "Growth is so painful sometimes...this project almost killed me." She continues writing, "Xcuse me, but I progress, hope y'all like it." ~SANDY SHORE

Given her string of excellent albums since 1993 for Blue Note, Cassandra Wilson has always been one of modern music's most reliable artists. Each new album bent but left unbroken the musical approach of her Blue Note debut BLUE LIGHT `TIL DAWN. THUNDERBIRD seems to be not so much a drastic change, but rather a particularly bold continuation of her career. An effective change in producers (T Bone Burnett behind the boards here) and a group of mostly new instrumentalists (i.e., to Cassandra's music) promises to put some distance between the new album and prior efforts.

Yet after several listens, it's clear that Wilson has retained all of the musical strengths established previously: her brilliantly nuanced vocals, a well-chosen mixture of original material with cover versions (e.g., several blues classics updated here), explorative musicians accompanying her, and an eclectic taste for compatible styles (blues, jazz, pop, folk, soul/r&b, etc.). At the same time, much of the album feels like a departure from her prior albums, probably due to the innovative production and arrangements.

Although several tracks offer a sparse accompiament to Cassandra's vocals (such as electric guitar only on "Red River Valley"), at other times the album's soundscape is marked by contemporary touches such as subtle electronica effects and even some pre-programming not far removed from hip-hop. This is most notable on the instant classic cut "It Would Be So Easy." However, at no point does the album sound to any extent like a generic attempt to fit into pop culture's safety zone; the modernist touches never come at the expense of the groundbreaking organic sound that Wilson has been noted for. For one, at times one hears parts what would be samples on anyone else's albums, but are actually live musicians playing in real time (such as on the tracks with several drummers where one will drop some well-placed fill-ins).

Although there is considerable variety from track to track, perhaps to a greater extent than previously THUNDERBIRD makes a collective statement, that being that Cassandra Wilson is more than ever miles ahead of even our elevated expectations that she will deliver outstanding results with each new album. THUNDERBIRD gets my vote as her all-time best to date!

She is vicious!!!! For real! Her voice is so smooth and the music itself is wonderful. I am going to buy all of her albums as soon as possible! I love this music I can just relax and think to her music. I am really upset that I am just getting to hear her!

This is such a shift in direction...not unexpected, and certainly not unwelcome, but Cassandra has gone to a different place with "Thunderbird". And its an experience that should be relished by any fan of hers.

The first thing you notice is the predominance of keyboards. Cassandra's work of late has been string based, and it is so welcome to hear that gorgeous voice singing with piano again.

Second, working with T-Bone Burnett has definitely sparked something. Cassandra's self-produced work (Belly Of The sun, in particular) while great, seemed to sometimes suffer from a lack of musical direction and discipline. That's not the case here.

You will fall in love immediately with "Going To Mexico" which is as funky as Cassandra has sounded since "Blue Lights Til Dawn". My personal favorite is a remake of the classic "Red River Valley", which she serves as a duet with Colin Linden.

As always, Cassandra works with some of the finest musicians around...Keb' Mo, Mike Elizando, Jim Keltner and Burnett himself are among those whose contributions really drive this project. But it's Cassandra's voice, taking possession of anything she sings, that shines from beginning to end.