Search - Nina Simone :: Just Like a Woman: Sings Classic Songs of the 60's

The Most Mediocre Release In A Tremendous Ouevre

Dustin Harbin | Charlotte, NC United States | 09/02/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Man, I'm a huge Nina Simone fan, and own maybe a dozen of her albums or collections, but this is the most lackluster Nina Simone CD I've ever listened to. I was excited when I heard there was a new CD coming out with "Suzanne", "I Shall Be Released", and a bunch of other great 60's songs, but these are all pretty boring. "Suzanne" is probably the most boring of the lot. These songs seem, without exception, to be within the sphere of her talent's greatness, and add nothing to the originals. The album could have been saved somewhat with the inclusion of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" or especially "I Put A Spell On You"; but apparently this was outside of the "60's songs by white dudes" theme the producers seem to be going for. Oh, well. If you're a new Nina Simone fan, don't start here--buy one of the many MANY collections of hers on the market, usually amalgams of several different studio sessions: I'd suggest "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" or "Wild Is The Wind/High Priestess of Soul" to start out with. "The Tomato Collection", a two-disc set, is also excellent. This new CD is only for the most freakish of completists."

5 stars for "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"

Mysterious Microburst | Mohave County, AZ | 10/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm rating this with four stars... not because I actually like the entire album. As the previous reviewer stated, there are many songs that are either not worthy of this woman's attention (let alone recording them) or simply odd and/or bad choices, likely made by the label in an attempt to commercialize an artist who was already at least as legendary as the writers of these "Classics".



I will, however, draw attention to Nina Simone's cover of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues." This is, IMO, an absolute standout. The first time I heard Simone's cover of this song (many moons ago, while listening to a cutting-edge FM station back in NY City), chills ran up and down my spine and I sought out the album (I believe it was formerly named "Songs of the Poets"... this, of course being a bit of a misnomer, as one of the songs is based pretty much verbatim on the biblical writing of Ecclesiastes and there were quite a few great and greater "Singing Poets" of the time who were, perhaps deliberately, overlooked), imagining that all the songs would be exquisitely chosen and covered in uniquely beautiful fashion. El wrongo.



Thanks to the miracle of MP3 downloads, one no longer has to (except in rare cases) purchase an entire CD just to acquire That One Song. And so my recommendation to you is to go for the choicest cut of all, while giving a Preview Listen to all the other snippets. Not that Bob Dylan didn't do the song justice -- he did. What Nina Simone does with the same song is quite different and yet, her voice comes from the heart of the night and imbues the song with a woman's expressions of sadness and loss. It is evident to me that she felt this song in a personal way. That is why it's worth paying to download. There may be times when you're down, but when you listen to Nina sing this, you'll know you're never alone (nor out)."