Eva Cassidy: Songbird
Sometimes there are artists and musicians that have a certain intensity and the ability to amaze us with that intensity, even if it’s not necessarily something new and unique. Eva Cassidy was one of those people. She was an amazing singer and musician who passed away before she really had a chance to make it big; she died of melanoma at the age of 33. Fortunately, there were a small number of live shows that were recorded and some studio sessions, that have been released since her passing. In my opinion the best release is the album Songbird.
The album is a series of covers, which can usually be a pretty hit or miss affair, but not in this case. Each song is a showcase of her singing and guitar playing. The album just about covers the litany of musical styles one can think of from standards to modern pop. The songs never sound trite or forced and her voice is soul crushing at times — I mean that in a good way. Check out this audio clip at LastFM of the song “Autumn Leaves.”
Her rendition of “Over the Rainbow” is the best version of the song I’ve ever heard performed; it’s simultaneously haunting and upbeat, that dissonance sets it apart. I’m still blown away that anyone can naturally sound that good without ProTools or vocoders. If you still have doubts, watch this live clip of her perfoming the song:
So if you like bluesy female vocals, with a slight jazz edge to them, check out Eva Cassidy. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Tags: blues, Eva Cassidy, guitar, jazz, Music, singer, vocals