Title - 'Somewhere' (Blix Street)
Artist - Eva Cassidy
The most amazing thing about Eva's singing is that no matter what type of music she sang; whether pop, soul, R&B, folk, jazz, or standards, she outsings the best of the masters in each area and does it effortlessly; simply and with no pretense.
Eva raised the bar by which vocal performance would always be then measured upon. And she did it on her own terms, singing what she wanted to sing, the way she wanted to sing it. After trying to work out a deal with record execs and refusing to be pigeonholed into a certain style of music, she just took life by the horns and managed to rise above the corporate swill to be a star of her own making.
Ten years after the release of 'Songbird,' indeed twelve years after her passing, this new CD is a collection of 12 previously unissued performances from the acclaimed Washington, D.C.-based singer. From Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" to her own "Somewhere," Eva covers a wide musical spectrum - country, folk, blues, R&B, western swing, appalachian, celtic - that also includes renditions of both Willie Nelson and Gershwin.
'Somewhere' comprises recordings Eva made, in various venues and studios, between 1987 and 1996 (the year she died) and includes a handful of cuts to which fresh instrumental backing has been added. Indeed, the album’s title track was unfinished before this record was made. Composed by Eva with longtime producer Chris Biondo, it had been in existence since 1990, though it wasn’t until recently that Biondo, aided by Blues Alley pianist Lenny Williams and drummer Raice McLeod, completed the stunning track, which closes 'Somewhere.'
Title - 'Somewhere' (Blix Street)