Nina Simone & Piano! / Silk & Soul

About

Nina Simone never had the chart success to match her overall impact as an artist; as a result, many of her albums are an inscrutable blend of songs her label believed could perform commercially, and Simone’s more indulgent—but often rewarding—digression. That’s the case with 1967’s <i>Silk & Soul</i>, which incorporates the kind of funk sounds and pop gloss that were fashionable at the time, but keep Simone’s musical grounding intact. Recorded with much of the same ensemble that had worked on the recent <i>Nina Simone Sings the Blues</i>—but with the addition of a horn section and broader orchestration—<i>Silk & Soul</i> finds the singer working with a typically eclectic mix of song. “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” wasn’t a hit upon release, but it’s become a classic of the Civil Rights Movement, channeling gospel’s ebullience with a potent message penned by pianist Billy Taylor. Her sultry “Turn Me On,” meanwhile, would set the bar for Norah Jones’ version over three decades later. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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