Eva Cassidy, Songbird

Eva Cassidy - Song Bird. Her voice and delivery is so clean and unforced that the nuance stands out in sharp relief. It is like putting on glasses, (I ' m mildly near sighted), and suddenly everything is brighter and more 3-D.... except this is working on your ears. It is like listening to a close friend who doesn ' t have to 'over sell 'the meaning of what they ' re are saying...they know you ' ll see the deep and high parts.

Purists of Jazz and Folk music find her slight, like the critics did of Linda Ronstadt in the 1970s.

I only have this Eva Cassidy album, but after reading the other reviews on Eva's work I will be going out to buy some of her others.

I absolutely love the Songbird album, and I have found myself listening to it more and more recently, as I have become more familiar with the tracks.

Her voice is very moving and you can feel her emotion when she sings. The tragic thing is that she was not really appreciated until after her death, and she will never know what effect her music has had.

I play Songbird in my car quite a lot, and as yet I have not had anyone say that they don't like it, even my husband, who is a big critic of music, will happily sit and listen to her entire album.

Although Songbird is not my favourite in all 9 releases of Eva Cassidy albums this one seems to be the best known. This should be classed as her Greatest Hits album as most of the songs can be found on the other albums - Live At Blues Alley and Eva By Heart.

Released in 1998 this CD eventually topped the charts. I have just read the Songbird book that I received today and you could not believe how long it actually took for the album to get noticed. After being turned down by the BBC radio station several times, the CD was eventually heard by Terry Wogan who played some songs on Radio 2. He was inundated with e-mails asking who it was singing but she still didn't even make it to number 75 in the charts. sales were steady and came in shorts bursts so they needed TV coverage so tried to get it on TOTP2 with still no luck since 'Over The Rainbow' was a rather bad home made recording. When November came, and the anniversary of Eva's death, they finally played it and thousands and thousands of orders we placed for the album which gradually climbed the charts (this was in 2000 and it had been first released in 1998!). The album made number 3 and then finally reached number 1.

This album was the first in my collection of Eva CDs. After hearing it so many times at school played by a teacher, the voice just grabbed me and I had to buy the album. My personal favourites are My personal favourites are 'I know you by heart' and 'Songbird' to which I have many happy memories, as do so many people throughout the world.

This is definitely one for the collection and will continue to be a success and will always remain timeless.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Fields of Gold

2. Wade in the Water

3. Autumn Leaves

4. Wayfaring Stranger

5. Songbird

6. Time is a Healer

7. I Know You by Heart

8. People Get Ready

9. Oh, Had I A Golden Thread

10. Over the Rainbow

INFORMATION ON EACH SONG:

1. Fields of Gold was first made a hit by Sting. Eva has managed to completely change the way the song was originally sung and has made it her own. This can also be found on 'Live At Blue Alley'. Written by Sting, this song is widely known as one of her finest pieces. About two people very much in love and who lie together in the fields of barley and don't care about anything else. The song then moves on to a later time when they now have children and they will always be remembered in that special place.

2. Wade in the Water can be found on 'Eva By Heart'. Traditional arr. Eva Cassidy, Only a scratch vocal that is about God and the children coming into the world.

3. Autumn Leaves can be found on 'Live At Blues Alley' and also on 'Live At Pearls' (Live version only available through WinMX). Written by Jacques Pr vert/Johnny Mercer/Joseph Kosma and is actually a French song. The song was originally written for "Les Portes de la nuit" and has also been covered by Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington Set when the summer has just passed a lover remembers his/her loved one as having a tan and then they are no longer around. Those happy times have passed and each day is growing longer. The time is now autumn and they are watching the leaves fall The time when they most miss the person.

4. Wayfaring Stranger can be found on 'Eva By Heart'. It is also Trad. Arr. Eva Cassidy. This is another of her scratch vocals. I love the version of this that can be found on live at Pearls although it is slightly different.

5. 'Songbird' is another song made famous by Eva. The song can be heard on the Cancer Research adverts on UK television and is such a beautiful song. So much emotion goes into singing it that it has so easily brought so many to tears. This can also be found on 'Eva By Heart'. Written by Christine Mcvie it is so romantic. Knowing that when you are with someone everything is all right with the world.

6. 'Time is a Healer' can also be found on 'Eva By Heart'. Written by Scanlon/Smith and is also known as "Love heals the wound it makes". If you have been hurt by someone, time makes it easier to forgive them. Finding a photo that brings back all the happy memories, and all those bad feelings and all the harsh things that had been said in the past start to disappear. Finally you start to miss this person.

7. 'I Know You By Heart' is such a wonderful song and always makes me cry. It is about someone knowing a person so well that when they lose them, they are always with you. Written by Diane Scanlon and Eve Nelson. Remembering their smile, all the great times that were spent together. Still hearing their voice even when the person left in the autumn, you can still feel them with you because you know them by heart.

8. People Get Ready. Written by Curtis Mayfield, the song is about joining God but there is no place for the bad people only those who have faith and have loved and lost as there is no hiding place from him and he knows what happens in the world. So those people should all join together and think of those who are weaker and who may not have this chance.

9. 'Oh, Had I a Golden Thread' is found on 'Live At Blues Alley'. Written by Pete Seeger, this song depicts life as being a tapestry and life can be woven onto it: Giving birth and the innocence of children weaving a magic spell upon the world.

10. 'Over the Rainbow' is more commonly sun by Judy Garland although so many artists have covered this song. Eva has a quality that makes this song her own and has made it quite famous. Written by Arlen and Harberg, this song is generally what Eva became famous from. This was the first ever song I ever heard of hers from a compilation album. Famously filmed at Blues Alley an has been shown on TOTP2 regularly. You are over the rainbow where the birds are flying, and you found out about this place in a lullaby.

The Songbird book, released earlier has also been a success and should be considered by any fans of her music. After she died so young, her family and fans know that this is a songbird that will be hard to be forgotten and hard to be compared to.

SUMMARY:

Overall, even though not my favourite I would still not be without it. This CD will always be in someones collection and listened to regularly. At a price of £9.99 it is well worth the money spent on it. I know I have certainly got my money out of it as it made its new home in my CD player for at least 3 months and even then is still in and out of it!