The Essential Nina Simone

nice to listen to

Wonderful Nina Simone comes shining through in this collection. Disc one is excellent and more originals, disc 2 more covers, but her voice and delivery are special on all.

Wonderful 2 disc brand new.

Nina Simone was very active in the civil rights movement. She knew Martin Luther King. This is a great collection of her music, from 1959 to 1993, that is tragically still very relevant today. There are some very political songs, along with many love songs, songs of regret and yearning, and covers of songs by Sandy Denny, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Tina Turner, and others.My current favorite is "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" (1967). The traditional "Sinnerman" (1965), one of the longest tracks, is another that leaves me awestruck.There was a time when I considered her music to be of its time, an earlier time, and no longer what I wanted to hear. This 2-disc set has opened my ears to the stunning emotional and intellectual power of Nina Simone's music.It is a source of nourishment and strength in these dark days.

Good music, has the Sinnerman track I like from the second Thomas Crown Affair. I can listen to and enjoy all the tracks.

A good selection with some of her 60s hippie type interpretations, which I liked so well I bought Nina Sings Classic Songs of the 60s. Passion and unequalled honesty.Who Knows Where the Time goes is by Sandy Denny, whose own version is almost equal, but the notes mention Judy Collins. Maybe she sang it too.However that haunting cut introduced by many in a Javier Bardem movie is live and mostly talk and then instrumental.The best version, purely vocal an without the talking intro and closing instrumental,like the one in the movie, is on Nina Sings Classic Songs of the 60s.She is my favorite with Gloria Lynne, who I just discovered. Both are vocally superior and their selection of material marvelous.

What's not to live glad to get this CD.of Nina Simone.

While it's impossible to include a complete collection of Simone songs without leaving out a few gems, this one comes close. I could easily name about 5 or 6 Nina Simone stand-outs that are missing here. But why quibble?Nina is in fine voice throughout. Her singular sound and passionate delivery on such recordings as "I Put a Spell on You," "Strange Fruit," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Ne Me Quitte Pas," "To Be Young Gifted and Black," and the forever-haunting "Four Women" all prove that few artists can create a lush mood, shatter perception or evoke real, raw emotion quite like the great Nina Simone."Essential," indeed!This CD will remain in steady rotation on my stereo.One.