Customer Reviews

Songbird

5 star:		(602)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Simply put, this CD has changed my life. "Over the Rainbow" stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it, bringing tears to my eyes. I've listened to it at least 50 times in the last few days, and it still moves me like no other piece of music ever has. "Autumn Leaves" and "Fields of Gold" are equally brilliant and have also set new standards for their interpretations. Then in the blink of an eye, Eva turns into a soulful,sultry, bluesy wailer on "Wade in the Water", "Wayfaring Stranger", and "People Get Ready". The range of expression and depth of phrasing in her songs are second to none.

The most amazing thing about her singing, however 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. Are you listening out there, all of you graduates of the "Sam Harris(of Star Search infamy)/Mariah Carey School of Pyrotechnical Caterwauling"? Just sing from the heart, like Eva did!

Eva Cassidy has raised the bar by which vocal performance will be measured from now on. 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 said "I just wanna sing. I like to do a little of everything". Eva, I just wanna listen!

Like the briefest, brightest shooting star, Eva Cassidy was here, then she wasn't. Perhaps God wanted his angel back.

During a lifetime of playing and listening to all styles of music, I have heard most of the great popular and operatic singers whose work survives in recordings: Caruso, Armstrong, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Van Morrison, just to name a few. But I was not prepared when a friend gave me this precious album last November.

From the first bars of the first song, "Fields of Gold," you are struck by the pure natural beauty of Eva's voice, the perfect pitch, intonation, vibrato, inflection. It seems to be exactly what a woman should sound like when she sings. Your sense of awe will only build as she sings over appropriately spare arrangements (including her understated but perfect guitar and keyboard work) of pop, soul, gospel, folk, and blues standards. Impossibly, each one of her performances (some of which were live) becomes definitive.

Just for good measure, she even takes on the song of the century, "Over the Rainbow," and eclipses Judy Garland's version--doesn't just eclipse it--blows it completely away in an anthemic performance which is, believe it or not, understated. I have never heard anything like it. Listening to it never fails to bring tears. Even trying to describe it to friends who haven't heard it brings tears.

Happiest when she was on her bicycle, Eva was a shy little waif-like blonde who never thought too highly of her awesome vocal instrument. But she possessed buckets and buckets of soul without overdoing it, without oversinging (as Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and others are known to do). I concur in all the rapturous reviews above and below. It's impossible not to love this music, just as it is impossible not to feel a strong sense of loss knowing that she's no longer with us. I defy anyone to listen to these ten songs and not be pleasantly devastated. This album will haunt you. It will hit you in your most vulnerable spot. It will become an indispensable part of your life.

(Since November I have bought the rest of her available CDs and continue to marvel at her fabulous and definitive performances. You haven't heard anyone sing "Danny Boy" until you've heard Eva sing it.)

Forget the calculated pop garbage of Mariah Carey. Forget the over-produced muck of Celine Dion. If you want to truly hear a beautiful voice that doesn't require over-the-top arrangements and lots of hair spray, you MUST hear Eva Cassidy.

If you first glance at the song list on the "Songbird" CD, some of the titles seem, to put it frankly, totally avoidable. "Over the Rainbow." "Wade in the Water." Songs that have been remade and remade until you may think nothing new could be added to them. Eva Cassidy was able to take these songs and turn them into something new and worthwhile. Her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" is absolutely breathtaking....moving, perfectly sung, emotional, understated. Her version of this tune perfectly captures what she was capable of...taking a song and totally making it her own.

The song choices range from traditional tunes like "Oh, I Had a Golden Thread" to contemporary numbers like Christine McVie's "Songbird." But Eva Cassidy was able to take this variety and work it to her advantage; despite the fact that "Songbird" is actually a collection of songs from three previously released albums, the performances are amazingly seamless and this makes the album as a whole a million times better than the overdone, poser pop that invades U.S. radio.

The most amazing performance here is her achingly beautiful version of Sting's "Fields of Gold." The song is made all the more poignant byt the fact that Eva Cassidy lost her battle with melanoma in 1996 at the age of 33....so when she sings "you'll remember me/when the west wind moves/among the fields of barley," it will easily bring a tear to the eye. Simply amazing.

A few days ago, my daughter gave me a CD of Eva Cassidy songs. Since then I've been unable to stop listening to it. I went to the local library, checked out every one of Eva's sadly few CDs (she died at 33 before she even had a record contract), found that all were spectacular, and then bought my own copies on Amazon. Here's this mostly classical listener's verdict: Eva Cassidy is one of the finest singers I've ever heard, without regard to genre. Her voice is lyrical, her clarity on a par with that of Ella Fitgerald or Elly Ameling, her diction as perfect as Sinatra's. She has the soft sound of a popular favorite but the control and sustained power of a Lied veteran. She's also a musician of the first rank--a great arranger and a wonderful guitarist. As if that weren't enough, she has a staggering breadth, handling pop, folk, gospel, and blues with equal finesse.

If you're looking to try out just a disc or two, I recommend Songbird, Time after Time, and Imagine, in that order. Among the many beauties you'll find on Eva's discs are some that come as close as anything I've ever heard to definitive: Fields of Gold (Songbird), I Know You by Heart (Songbird), Kathy's Song (Time after Time, and yes it tops the version of the great Paul Simon himself), It Doesn't Matter Any More (Imagine), Early Morning Rain (Imagine), and Danny Boy (Imagine). Her Stormy Monday (Live at Blues Alley) is superb. To confirm my sense of just how good, I went to the iTunes store and sampled all of the nearly 120 renditions of this famous song. Couldn't find one I liked better. Topping them all is Over the Rainbow (Songbird). Judy Garland set the standard; Eva set a new one. If this doesn't reduce you to tears, see a psychologist.

Curious about the power of Harold Arlen's great song, I built an iTunes playlist of the dozen or so different versions of Over the Rainbow that I have and began comparing them. What struck me is the fact that even when the song is interpreted by an indisputably great artist such as Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald I don't get the feeling that the artist really belives in the music; it's a platform for a performance, not a trip over the rainbow. Not so with Eva. She's able to draw the listener into a world in which one can indeed travel over rainbows. This is a quality of all of her music, and a quality that distinguishes it from the work of artists who in other respects (quality of voice and technique) are her equal. Her emotion is totally invested in what is going on in the song and therefore so is ours. The mark of art at its greatest is this ability to create a secondary world of imagination and emotion, which, while we're in it, is the only place we want to be.

Why is it that such talent passes so quickly? You'll find yourself asking that as I do when you listen to Eva's hauntingly beautiful singing. Fortunately, we have these few songs at least to remember her by. After you've listened to these for hours on end as I have, you may find yourself thinking that she was singing for all of us in I Know You By Heart:

The joy you gave me lives on and on.
'Cause I know you by heart.

to put it simply...this album is breathtaking. When I popped it into my cd player I was just pulling out of the driveway...and then I heard her sing. I was completely blown away. Eva's voice is so pure, unique...and the way she delivers/interprets a song is just amazing. "Fields of Gold" was always a favorite song of mine...and no offense to Sting, but Eva's rendition of it really makes the words come to life. You can actually feel her emotions come pouring through with each note.

Her range is also amazing...jazz, pop, gospel...done with such ease. Her rendition of "Wade in the Water" shows her gospel prowress...but then you hear her sultry and heartwrenching "Time is a Healer" and you wonder what genre or even what generation she can't handle. And to hear her sing "Over the Rainbow" and do it justice....what a phenomenon. (Next to Judy Garland, I didn't even think was possible for someone to sing that song.)

This album is a compilation of several of her previous works. And it is unfortunate that Eva is no longer alive...but I think that her legacy will live on for a long time to come. I am so glad I took a chance and bought this cd.

How can words adequately express the incredible extent to which Eva Cassidy can transfix your attention upon her mesmerizing voice? How can you describe the way in which her pure and powerful vocal abilities and melodic interpretations pull you straight into the lyrics, to the point where you find it difficult to separate your life experience with that of the song writer? You start the audio oddysey with track one of the CD and soon you are hooked like a junky, eagerly awaiting to discover how her rich, clear and powerful voice is going to be showcased in yet another distinct musical dimension. By track three you realize that her interpretive style and vocal delivery is so compelling that you find yourself overwhelmed with complex emotions conjured up from the depths of--you're not sure where. By track five you're startled that for the first time in your life, you find that you like a cover better than the original artist's rendition--even though the original comes from your here-to-fore favorite album. By track nine, as you contemplate how there hasn't yet been a single disappointing track on the entire album, your hair slowly raises on the back of your neck in response to the building intensity and purity of her voice as it transitions from soft, plaintive melody to the white-hot tonal emotions released in the upper-upper registers common to Gospel influenced R&B. Just when you are regaining your composure and collecting your emotions for the last track, she takes you up--and over the top--with the most compelling rendition of "Over the Rainbow" you have ever in your life imagined possible. When the CD is finished and the silence returns to the room, you slowly recover from the shock and you know that you'll never really listen to music in the same way again. Eva Cassidy's superlative performance in each of a half-dozen musical genres ultimatley succedes in changing your perspective on music appreciation. I will always wonder why the good Lord decided to take her away from us so early.

When I frist wrote this review on my birthday in 2001, I had no idea how important and popular Eva Cassidy's music would become to many of us today. After reading so many new reviews of her music, I wanted to revisit my own thoughts about her music, and I am still of the same opinion. Cassidy's vocals still surprise and delight me. She will remain an unexpected and almost unknown favorite. Even though I crave to hear new works from her, I will never tire of the music she gave us while she was here on earth with us. Knowing we have a limited library of her music makes each song become even more reverent every time I listen. My earlier review: Seven hours ago I had never heard of Eva Cassidy until that day in October. Then a co-worker, knowing of my participation in and appreciation for great music, approached me with several of Eva Cassidy's CD's. Now, after hearing her Songbird CD, she has been elevated to "All-Time Favorite" status in my book. Cassidy's moving and intimate vocals woo you into her web of exquisite and varied renditions --part jazz and blues singer, part folk singer and gospel singer. Being a singer and musician myself, I sometimes tire of a whole CD of one artist's sound. Cassidy's chameleon-like voice transcends any I've come across in some time, and I doubt I will tire of hearing her any time soon. She can be mellow, she can belt, she can skat, she can nail it and still weave a tapestry of a story in music quite like no other. Heartbreakingly, Cassidy is no longer weaving her musical tapestries in this world, and all we have left of her on terra firma are several magical and somewhat self-fulfilling prophetic recordings. Saddened that her life was cut short and that her talent was taken from us before it had a chance to take root in a grander venue. So glad I have been blessed with the gift of her music now. Her music is still truly a rare find.

I had never heard of Eva Cassidy until my attention was captured by a soul-touching rendition of Over the Rainbow. I stopped what I was doing and turned to see who I had just heard singing. It was the Nightline story about a beautiful, young singer who had tragically passed away at the tender age of 33, but left behind a collection of songs that stir emotion and tug at your heart. Her voice is a true gift from God and her style is one that is truly artistic! I can't remember when I have heard an artist or collection of music that I can just listen to and never get tired of hearing. My mother always said Patsy Cline was her favorite artist because you could feel the emotions she felt when she sang. Eva Cassidy is Exactly the same. If you truly focus on listening to her music, you can feel her passion for singing. Fields of Gold & Over the Rainbow, and People Get Ready bring tears to my eyes. I am thankful her parents were generous enough to share her with the rest of us. Her voice and music are ageless and her legacy will live on in those of us who understand, embrace and appreciate her courage to record what made HER happy, not what record producers wanted her to sing. I know she is in heaven, doing what she loves most, singing with that beautiful voice the Lord gave her.

I first heard Eva while on vacation in Provincetown, MA. My friends and I were in a shop when one of them pointed out the music playing in the background. We asked the salesperson behind the counter who the artist was. She told us it was Eva Cassidy, a bit about her life story, and which record shop was selling the CD. We all bought it.

The music on this disc is in incredible. It's rare that you find an artist who can make another song completely their own. Not only is it the clarity and power of the voice, it's the interpretation and understanding that makes Eva's singing so beautiful. "Fields of Gold" became a new song. The gospel standards make shout out loud. The blues tunes show such sensitivity. "Over the Rainbow" always stops me in my tracks and almost makes me cry. Chills down my spine? Almost every time. Eva Cassidy is sorely missed. I'm glad her legacy lives.

Buy this album. Enjoy it on your own. Share it with someone special. You'll be glad you did. I am.

I am not easily impressed.

I had never heard of Eva Cassidy.

I did not see Nightline.

I do not own this CD.

So why am I compelled to write a review?

One other reviewer wrote that "you will always remember where you were or what you were doing when you heard Eva for the first time." Let me relate to you my story.

Driving home from a long day at work, with the radio keeping me company, the strains of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" drifts over the airwaves - somewhat familiar (the melody, lyrics etc.) however totally different in the emotions that it evoked. I was mysteriously enthralled, captivated, stunned, perplexed at my reactions; trying to anticipate the singer's next note or phrasing or inflexion or expression, but each time I was wrong - and was pleasantly wrong because Eva did it better than I could have ever anticipated or imagined.

I pulled over to the side of the road, and sat dumbfounded, as I listened and longed for the piece never to end. But alas, all things do - end that is - even a life as beautiful as Eva's as I have now learned.

As I browse the web intent on learning more, I see that over 190 of you have also saw fit to write about your experiences with this cherished music. Alas, there is hope for Man if God CAN stir our souls to tears - even in this cynical age.

You all have an advantage on me as I read that you all have one or some or ALL of Eva's CD's. I have only heard one song - ONCE. That is until tomorrow when I shall immerse myself in Eva's music and her creations.

So I will always remember sitting in the car at the side of the road, at the edge of the park on a late sunny afternoon, stunned by my first experiences of Eva.

I ca't wait to be stunned again and again.