Nina Simone Sings The Blues

 "I'll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. I mean really, no fear!" - Nina

Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist, no popular singer was more closely associated with the Civil Rights Movement than Nina.

Nina was nicknamed “The High Priestess of Soul” and usually was billed as a jazz vocalist, but she often rejected those labels, viewing it as a reflection of her race more than her musical style and training.  She self-identified as a folk singer, with a style that also incorporated blues, gospel, and pop, among others. She was able to cross genres as both a singer and pianist, and her classical background remained an important part of her music.   Her voice was gravelly and smooth, grating and gorgeous, and most of all unique.  She was also one of those few performers who, when she did a cover version of a song, it sounded like she wrote it.

'Nina Simone Sings The Blues' was her second of three albums in 1967, and her first for the RCA label; one wonders if that had a lot to do with the rather drastic left-turn on this record.  The song selection is more varied than many of the blues records of the era, so it's more of a jazz musician's take on the blues, even if this isn't really jazz at all.  That said, Nina gets down and dirty with 11 cuts of pure blues and a lot of soul.  Every cut is excellently performed with an incredibly tight backing band and Simone's soaring, powerful voice and piano stylings.  From creative song reinventions to some intimate original pieces, this is an excellent album from start to finish.

Nina is backed by a relatively small band that gives this album an intimate feel, with guitarists Eric Gale and Rudy Stevenson, bassist Bob Bushnell, drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, organist Ernie Hayes, and harmonica player Buddy Lucas, who doubles on tenor saxophone.

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