Customer Reviews

Somewhere

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Eva Cassidy's music touches me deeply. One of the few singers whose voice is so profoundly moving that it can make me cry (her "Over the Rainbow" from Songbird does it every time), Eva Cassidy is a singer's singer, a virtuoso with a tone so pure that it's practically crystalline. I have all of her previous releases and listen to them often.

When I saw "Somewhere" at a local store, I bought it immediately. And I mean that. I saw it, I bought it. Within, like, 20 seconds. I didn't know a new Eva Cassidy release was in the works. So discovering this new Eva Cassidy album was akin to tripping over a football-size diamond while groping in the dark for a light switch.

I've been listening to it all morning. And I must say...

Wow.

No, make that double wow.

These 12 previously unreleased songs (two of them co-written by Eva) are on par with anything on Songbird, Imagine, or Time After Time (my three favorites of hers). The recordings are crystal clear. Her voice is pristine. The arrangements are superb. A few, in fact, are downright show-stopping. The album closer -- "Somewhere" (lyrics written by Eva) is nothing short of astounding. On it, her voice soars, embraces, caresses, builds, uplifts...fitting perfectly with the anthemic music recorded many years after her too-soon passing in 1996.

A new Eva Cassidy album is always a treat, made more rare with each one as the vaults of unreleased tracks are emptied. This album, however, is priceless. Her vocal and guitar recordings were made anywhere from 1987 to 1995 (the bulk of them were recorded in 1995). Yet, they sound as crisp and vibrant as anything recorded today. It's easy to tell that "Somewhere" was created with love from first note to last. It was made with the reverence, joy, and respect due a talent as large as Eva Cassidy's.

I'm so grateful that Eva lived and that she recorded so many songs. I'm also grateful that Bill Straw, founder of Blix Street Records (Eva's label) has safeguarded Eva's legacy and only releases songs worthy of her. Thank you, Bill.

I cannot possibly recommend this album highly enough. This is music for the ages, perfect for any mood in which one happens to be. The songs are exceptionally inspiring when I write or read. Yet, the magic of Eva Cassidy is that her songs can be listened to actively, too. By that, I mean you can sit in a room with just her songs, doing nothing but listening, and be amazed at what you discover with each listen.

"Somewhere," by Eva Cassidy is a must-buy album that you'll cherish for countless years to come. I strongly encourage anyone who loves well-crafted, moving, magical music to buy this.

As a long time Eva Cassidy fan this album caught me off guard. It is not the smooth flowing series of ballads one would expect from this singer yet in many ways it just could be something better! The album is a direct response to recording companies who originally tried to limit Eva to one type of music. Eva had the ability to master Standards, Country, R&B and Folk and herein lies the proof.

Fans of Eva's cover of "Fields Of Gold" will be quick to internalize the heartbreak in "A Bold Young Farmer", sung with trademark vocals which attack the nervous system faster than any virus known to man. Another folk selection, "Red Red Rose", is a close second in this emotional breakdown category because it is sung more true to it's origin as a Burns poem than as a bold ballad. This rose is a true love letter sung as if written on parchment.

The award winning album, Live At Blues Alley, might have been even better had it included two songs from this new album. "Ain't Doin' Too Bad" retains her vocals from the historic Jan 3, 1996 appearance while also adding a new backing by original band members plus a horn section. If you ever wondered what Eva would have sounded like accompanied by the full complement of musicians she deserved this is the answer. Fans of the band will applaud the piano introduction by Lenny Williams, Keith Grimes's guitar solo and Raice McLeod's "made to order" drums. Chris Biondo, Eva's long time producer and band member (bass), is superb in his producing of this track.

Eva's country music fans will immediately notice the Dolly Parton song, "Coat Of Many Colors", and an americana version of Don Hecht's "Walkin' After Midnight". In both songs, Keith Grimes offers sublime support on guitar.

Eva sings without the safety net of her regular band in "Early One Morning". The album liner notes contain a photo of Eva's handwritten lyrics offering the first of two songs that indicate her skills progressed far beyond interpretation. Dobro and slide guitar work by Rob Cooper are perfect complements to Eva's vocals.

Reinventing American Popular Song Standards was one of Eva's most unusual skills. Those who applaud her treatment of Irving Berlin's "Cheek To Cheek" on the Blues Alley release will quickly agree that she has pulled another musical rabbit out of a tophat with her version of the Gershwins "Summertime". This take is one that sits so easily under a shade tree that you will spend hours trying to think of similar versions. Don't waste your energy. Eva's folk based interpretation is a true original.

Any discussion of Eva's potential as a songwriter is now closed with the addition of the recording's title song, "Somewhere". Co-written with Chris Biondo (music), Eva's lyrics are far from casual and suggest a longing for love that may also apply to her need to create music..."and I like an arrow straight for love I went again". Fans of Eva Cassidy will only understand her full creative force when they hear this song complete with her own multi-voice background vocals, dynamics that change within verse, and phrasing that always finds the maximum emotion. To borrow from the lyrics, "for a moment or for a lifetime" this is Eva Cassidy.

I can't speak as eloquently as the reviews above - but if you love Eva, you're going to love this release. I'm so happy that I have yet another Eva CD to add to my collection. Happy Listening!!!

In her much too short career, it never mattered whether Eva Cassidy sang blues, jazz, rock, country, folk, gospel or traditional songs. Her voice had an unparalleled emotional reach, and no matter what she sang, she always sounded like the "real deal". (Never like someone steeped in one musical tradition trying to sing in another.)

While Cassidy left this world much too soon, the body of work that remains is absolutely amazing and would have been so had we not have heard any more from her. The "Somewhere" CD only adds to that legacy. Let it suffice to say that "Somewhere" stands with "Songbird" and all of the "Blix Street" releases that have gone before.

According to the evacassidy dot org website, "Songbird" has gone platinum in the U.S., and an independent film production company, headed in part by Amy Redford (Robert Redford's daughter) has reached a deal with the Cassidy family to do a movie on Eva's life. It should make for a very engageing film with a soundtrack that will leave audiences incredulous as to why they hadn't heard of her before. More importantly, at a time when it seems every mediocre singer receives the "Diva" designation, it will give Eva Cassidy the much wider audience she so richly deserves!

There truly is only one Eva Cassidy--unique, eclectic, and amazingly gifted in every way imaginable. Like her previous six albums, one of which reached Platinum status in Britain and US, Cassidy's music is timeless in every way! This new album, entitled "Somewhere" repeats the tradition and is exquisite.

Relatively unknown prior to her 1996 passing at age 33, Cassidy quickly rose from relative obscurity to take on a posthumous life of her own. Her artwork (located at www.evacassidy.com) as well as her music is an incredible gift that her family and friends have chosen to share with the world as a means of celebrating Eva's life and the endurance of creativity in the human spirit. With this album, as in Cassidy's previous work, there is something for everyone. In "Coat of Many Colors", Cassidy becomes the consumate storyteller, turning the work from that of Dolly Parton to her own original style. "Walking After Midnight" will reveal a voice with Patsy Klein's overtones, but with a nuance and style only Cassidy could facilitate. "Chain of Fools" surpasses even the original rendition by the legendaery Aretha Franklin. Those who are familiar with Franklin's work will not be disappointed, but will be utterly captivated by Cassidy's interpretation. Most poignant are the two pieces Cassidy wrote herself--a rarity for an artist who is primarily known for her skillful re-interpretation of others' classic works. "Early One Morning" is a very passionately-sung Appalachian ballad, bluesy and expressively driven. Listen and read the words to "Somewhere" several times, and one can almost detect a self--fulfilling prophecy in Cassidy's own words. "Somehow, somewhere, at some time, someone cared--maybe just for a moment, or maybe for a lifetime."

This album will have listeners caring for a lifetime--about the legacy of Eva Cassidy, and about what life is truly all about.

Love you, Eva!

This new album "Somewhere" beautifully showcases Eva Cassidy's many talents -- her original arrangements, her stunning ability to sing any genre, her highly skilled guitar playing and of course, her incomparable vocal delivery. "Summertime" is one of my all time favorites on the album because Eva has managed to arrange this classic into something all her own while simultaneously delivering exquisite vocals and brilliant acoustic guitar work.

Eva Cassidy's voice always makes me want to pull my chair closer. The recordings "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose", "Coat of Many Colors", "If I Give My Heart"(performed with her brother, violinist Dan Cassidy) and "Bold Young Farmer" make me feel as if I've been scooted to a front row seat. Her vocals on these songs deliver that gorgeous purity that is classic Eva.

Another highlight of the album is "Aint Doin' Too Bad" and I marvel over the way Eva moves effortlessly between blues, rock-a-billy, country and Texas swing with her arrangements of "Won't Be Long", "Walkin" After Midnight" and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain".

One of the unique treats offered on this CD is the opportunity to witness Eva's work on two original songs "Early One Morning" (with her friend Rob Cooper) and "Somewhere" (written with long-time friend and producer Chris Biondo). Both original works are unpredictable and take you somewhere new. I am particularly impressed with Eva's lyrics on the beautiful finale of the "Somewhere"; they are both intimate and universal:

"Is time my redeemer?
Loneliness my only friend?
Just once in a lifetime
Strangers share a common end
And I like an arrow
Straight for love I went again
And you like tomorrow
Never knowing where and when

Somewhere, somehow
At sometime someone cared
Maybe just for a moment
Or maybe for a lifetime..."

"Somewhere" takes the listener on a new "five star" journey.

I am so glad that some of the ballads that Eva Cassidy also performed at Pearl's have been released on this album. I am still hoping that a complete Live at Pearl's album will be released one day. "Coat of Many Colors" is a beautiful addition to her other ballads.

The counterbalance to the ballads are the jazzy numbers that are like the bright stars at night after the warmth of the sun in the day.

"Somewhere" is really at the center of this album in its blending of the softness of her ballads and the energy of jazz. It reflects the deep blue of the early evening. This meditation on time and redemption echoes with memories of years long past and reveals a new direction that her music might have taken.

I also bought an album of love songs by Chris de Burgh, including "In a Country Churchyard", another ballad that Eva liked to sing. This song about a transcendent love recalls a golden morning many years ago:

And suddenly it seemed to me
I heard the words like singing in the trees ...
Let your love shine on,
for we are the stars in the sky.
Let your love shine strong
until the day you fly, fly away.

It was only a few months ago that I first learned about this artist and wondered how I never heard of her before. We probably all have a story of where we first heard Eva. For me, it was at my local Starbucks and I heard a version of Autumn Leaves that was unique, emotional, beautiful and all this over the noise of latte machines and coffee shop chatter. I never did find out who this was but figured I'd hear her again and she must be a new artist on the scene. Well a few weeks later I heard Autumn Leaves again at the same Starbucks, but during a much quieter time. It brought tears to my eyes and touched me so deeply. At my computer, I googled to discover who was the amazing artist that struck a chord so deeply in my heart. You can imagine how I felt when I also discovered this artist died prematurely.

In the few months since then I have simply devoured this lady's music. This latest "new" album is so amazing. I absolutely love "A Bold Young Farmer" - I'll leave it at that as I am still processing the utter beauty of her presentation. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain is another magical interpretation of a classic country song. Eva seemed to be able to take the essence of a song and direct it right at you in such a way that you are oblivious to everything but the music.

Summertime - another awesome interpretation of a classic standard that is 100% Eva.

As typical of anything Eva, there are multiple genres. Jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, country - it's all there. And it's all great. This is one unbelievable album.

I could go on and on and on about this artist. But if you are reading this, you probably already know what I mean. And if you don't, well you are missing out on one of the most amazing musicians ever.

I have been an Eva fan since I first heard of her on Nightline a number of years ago. I own every CD and never tire of her genius. That having been said, I feel that "Somewhere" is her best CD since "Songbird." I feel blessed.

I happen to enjoy many types of music, but I tend to lean to rhythm & blues as my favorites. Eva did a fantastic job with them. The first time I heard Eva was in a quaint gift shop in northwest Wisconsin. The CD playing at the time was "eva by heart." I asked who that fabulous singer was and the store owner said, "Eva Cassidy." I haven't been the same since. I now have all her published CD's and book, "Songbird." I can only say 'thanks' to those she left behind who believed in her music and wanted to share it with the world.