I'm excited for Nina Simone to be my latest obsession. After hearing a track from this album on the radio, I'm starting here, but I have at least five of her other albums I'd like to listen to soon. Her body is work is much larger than I expected and after some reading and searching about her best work and best songs, I chose six and I'll go from there. Most people recommend her live albums (Nina Simone at ...), but for some reason I see those as being reserved for her more experienced fans, as I tend to see all artists and their live albums. However, after all that explanation, I'm starting with a live album because I can't get that one track out of my head.
My ideas of Simone up to this point had always been favorable. I'm aware of her versions of "Ooh, Child" and "Here Comes the Sun," but I was in love with "Feelin' Good" for a very long time and may possibly still be. Her voice is striking and powerful and her musicality is obvious. I had no idea she was pianist and initially inspired to be a classical pianist. I grouped her with the great Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday - a powerful woman with a unique voice putting her stamp on standards, but there is much more to it, as I was to only just yesterday find out.
It Is Finished is her last album at RCA, recorded in 1974. It begins with "The Pusher," a song popularized by Steppenwolf! Its hard to find any evidence of this hard rock style in her music. Her soulful performance seems to be influenced only by the severity of the lyrics. After some applause, she launches into a hypnotic descending, single-hand, piano melody. It then becomes chords, while the guitar, or smaller strummed instrument (I'm not sure here) takes up a similar melody. Her vocal melody sounds like "Kumbaya" and strangely the words "come by here" are slurred together to sound like she is singing "kumbaya" as well. Its gospel, but with only Simone's vocals, it is an unusual way to experience the genre. The audience clearly feels the gospel vibe as they begin clapping in rhythm about 2/3 through until the end. I still cannot get that piano hook out of my head.
When I heard "Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter" on Louisville's WFPK, I was surprised to find it was Nina Simone. It sounded much newer to me, something like Róisín Murphy meets the Noisettes. The percussion is intricate, I cannot name exactly what instruments are used, but some bongos, drum set, and tambourine for certain. Essentially, this rhythm track carries the entire song, dropping out only at certain times to showcase Simone's voice. It is constantly evolving and changing but still retains the essential seductive initial repetition. Simone's voice is smooth and the lyrics are uncomplicated which blends right into the rhythm track.
"Mr. Bojangles" isn't bad, but I feel that I've heard over versions which interest me more. Simone's version is simple, her vocals straightforward and the instrumentation typical. The audience apparently recognized the next song. They cheer loudly after she iterates the first line of "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl." The song is seductive, her piano playing is reminiscent of that in a salon or bar, but in the very best of ways. She dedicates the song to the great Bessie Smith.
"Dambala" is haunting. Simone sings quietly, her voice slinks through each word. I'm pretty sure I hear sitar in this one and there is a lot of Simone's classical piano training here as well. It makes for a unique performance. Its a shame this album is so under represented among Simon's oeuvre. I can find hardly any sources in a cursory search that talk about it or any of the songs on here. As a result, I don't know who sings the duet, "Let It Be Me" with her on this album. The piano is simple, playing chords to back up the straightforward melody with few embellishments. I imagine this song would work well on the soundtrack for a good drama film.
"Obeah Woman" begins with another repetitive percussive track and again I'm not exactly sure on the instrumentation except for the obvious tambourine and bongos. Here she sounds almost like Miriam Makeba. I know the two were close friends, but I'm not sure as to the timeline between their friendship and the recording of this album. The singing in this song seems very loose, she frequently invites the audience to participate. There is an element of call and response, but also slight improvisation.
This album demonstrates the versatility of Nina Simone. I had no idea she was so multifarious and involved in the instrumentation of her music. I had no idea she was such a force when performing live. I had no idea she sang more than standards. Expect to see much more Nina Simone on this blog soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment