From the late 50s until her death, she was one of the great unclassifiable pop singers of the 20th century, and if her voluminous recording career was erratic, the first 15 years at any rate had many highlights. For those who want to investigate Simone's material beyond the usual compilations, this is a great start. Theres no question that Nina Simone is richly deserving of a three-CD (plus one DVD), 51-song box set such as To Be Free. Arrangements are from the simple to the sophisticated, and the soulful, dramatic, and slow intense smoldering in her contralto is simply stunning. Her piano playing was already in place and her control - check "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair," "It Might as Well Be Spring," or Oscar Brown's "Forbidden Fruit" for evidence - is already otherworldly. Get new Nina Simone merch, and follow Nina everywh. She was already in charge of her game, recording everything from big-band jazz arrangements and blues to more dramatic concert hall folk and popular material. Fortifying Simone’s legacy, Feeling Good depicts generations of Black joy and boundless self-expression. The quality of these fairly early recordings, done in the first half-decade of Simone's recording career, cannot be overestimated. The first two - The Original Nina Simone and Nina Simone at Town Hall - were issued on the respected jazz and blues label Bethlehem in 1959, and the latter two - Nina Simone at Newport (1960) and Forbidden Fruit (1961) - were released on Colpix. Collectables dishes up four Nina Simone recordings from the late '50s and early '60s on a double-disc set.
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