Nina Revisted... A Tribute to Nina Simone (Review)

Not having been a fan of Nina Simone, or for that matter having ever really spent a great deal of time listening to her music. (I planned to I swear! Just never got around to it....)  I came in to the album with no expectations of how the songs should sound.   I promised myself that I would listen to the originals after I listened to the covers, and in some cases this was a good thing.  Overall this is not a bad album, but it is marred by the inconsistency of the songs that are delivered by our modern artists.  In particular Lauryn Hill seems to be all over the place with highs and lows in her offerings. (This is probably because she carries the lion’s share of the workload with 6 songs.)  Standouts include: Jazmine Sullivan’s cover of “Baltimore”, Gregory Porter’s take on “Sinnerman” and Common & Lalah Hathaway’s interpretation of "To Be Young, Gifted & Black."

Now remember these are my opinions.  If you disagree let us know!


N/A    My Mama Could Sing (Intro) – Lisa Simone

3    Feeling Good – Ms. Lauren Hill    Nice cover of a song that's been covered 1 million times. Nothing earth shattering but not a waste of time. Almost seems like a song you could catch her singing around the house for fun.

4    I've Got Life – Ms. Lauryn Hill    Here's where I have to admit I was honestly not a Nina Simone fan. So any of these songs are completely new to me. It's good to see Lauryn Hill in fine form. She is still one of the greatest female emcees of all time. She stalks across the track like a panther stalking.  Supremely confident while dropping knowledge and delivering a scathing social report card to an unsuspecting audience.  "Imperialism was a form of Jihad."

2.5    Ne Me Quitte Pas - Ms. Lauryn Hill    I just found the whole thing very noisy.  Its sung in French and I've always thought that with songs in foreign language you should keep the song as clean as possible.  You already have the barrier of not being able to understand the words.  Why make it hard to hear them as well?

5    Baltimore - Jazmine Sullivan    Not just my favorite song on the album but might be one of the best songs of the year.  Jazmine Sullivan is having a terrific year with not only a successful album but a successful appearance on this high profile tribute album.

3.5    Love Me Or Leave Me - Grace Simone's early career was largely in jazz clubs around New York and I can easily see myself sitting in a jazz club sipping a cocktail and just watching relative newcomer Grace perform this smoky cover.

2    My Baby Just Cares For Me - Usher    Usher does a passable job on this jazzed up mid-tempo ballad.  But it comes across almost like a montage scene in movie you put in the film because you had to cover the ground but no one is really paying attention to it.  Music to fall asleep to.

3    Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Mary J. Blige    There are some high spots here and there.  I wish that they had stripped the track back and let Mary's rough bluesy quality shine through the music.  Sometimes it seems like she's buried underneath the sonic assualt of piano, pseudo jazz and background singers.  If you want to be really upset at this song listen to the original and imagine what Mary could have done if they had gone that route with the song.

4.5    Sinnerman - Gregory Porter    One of those songs that you know you're going to like from the very first moment.  Gregory Porter probably isn't a household name but after hearing this track I'm sure more than a few people will check out his work.  The song sprawls and swells building to a climax of Porter, drums and horns that are worth every minute of the 6 minute play time of this standout.

4    We Are Young Gifted & Black - Common & Lalah Hathaway    Common is once again in fine social commentary mode.  He has always possessed the gift of being able to communicate a social message with out sounding like he is preaching at the audience.  He is helped by the perfect compliment of Lalah Hathaway on the chorus.  Wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see this used in a movie or released as a single.

5    I Put A Spell On You - Alice Smith    I love that this song was almost a cover in name only.  Alice Smith puts her stamp on a classic song that has been covered so many times that it approaches cliché.  One listen to this haunting version and you will never confuse it with any singing competition or commercial.  Smith's stylized version falls somewhere between Simone and Florence & The Machine.  And that's good company to be in.

3.5    I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl - Lisa Simone    Lisa Simone did her famous mother proud with this cover from her blues period.  A good solid track that oddly enough reminds me of Lisa Nicole Carson in 'Devil in A Blue Dress'.  Thick and sexy with a little attitude.

2    Black Is the Color of My True Loves Hair - Ms. Lauryn Hill    Another song that almost feels over-produced.  There's seems to be a disconnect between the vocal track and the backing track.  The organs which should be an accompaniment at times seem to overpower Hill's voice.  It ends up sounding like a bit of a mess, and is particularly jarring when compared to the original.

3    Wild Is The Wind - Ms. Lauryn Hill    I don’t understand why there seemed to be this need to take such simple source material and turn them in to these overdone productions.  It's like having a perfectly cooked piece of steak and then covering it with so much parsley and other garnish that you can't see the steak anymore.  I know that underneath all flash and reverb is Lauryn Hill singing a classic song.  But, man, do I have to dig through this overly grandiose monstrosity to get there.

N/A    African Mailman (Instrumental)   
       
4    I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel - Nina Simone    The perfect way to end the album.  Almost like a sign off from one of the most influential artist of her generation.  Loved it.
       
3.5    Album Score (Out of 5)