After Hours

Nina Simone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 1995)
• Original Release Date: March 21, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000046Y0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,274 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent & Wrenching, November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: After Hours (Audio CD)

I have many Nina Simone records, but I always come back to her ballads on rainy days. This record, in particular, is a crusher. Good for anyone unfamiliar, but curious, about Nina as well as any loyal fan. Her rendition of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain" will slay all who here it with its pure, pure sadness. "The Other Woman" and "Lilac Wine" are also solid and lovely.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nina the Torch Chanteuse--Highly Recommended, March 9, 2000

By 

"bobida" (N.J.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After Hours (Audio CD)

Nina's voice is like no other vocalist--the emotional intensity she brings to her covers and originals are non-pareleil. This "After Hours" CD (formerly on Philips, now Verve) is probably the best one that shows Nina in a "torch-chanteuse" mode. It is my co-favorite alongside the Jazz Masters on Verve. Nina's voice was at a creative peak. Each song stands out from the next. One could play this CD 1,000 times and never get tired. Each time the listener discovers new depth and meaning in Nina's singing. I prefer Nina during this mid-60's period to her later stint at RCA when she became too blues-oriented and political.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's 3 AM and Nina calls to the lonely or love-lorn., July 26, 2004

By 

Constant Listener (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After Hours (Audio CD)

This CD displays Nina Simone in an intentionally un-eclectic light, showcasing her ballad work. While I would recommend the PolyGram Very best of to the uninitiated, I actually prefer this album because it only includes one or two of her most popular tracks. Naturally, anyone holding a PhD in voice is going to be incredible, but this is Nina Simone. There is a tenderness on this disc that I have only fleetingly encountered elsewhere. Nina's strengths are myriad, but her balladry cuts to the quick, and this collection remains unparalelled. She has been many things, from a political activist to a showtune diva, but it's in her quieter moments that you really feel the texture and implications of the voice that has never been equaled or surpassed. It's too bad taht her best-of collections are so uniform. Not to say that I don't like her when she's rolling, but it's this CD's gentle rock that will entrance. Needless to say, I could not recommend this disc more, especially for the already established fanbase.