SONGBIRD

I don't normally review what I buy. I've never had a compulsion to tell the world what I thought of something. However, after buying this album I was compelled to add my review and second the 5 star reviews already posted. I first heard of Eva Cassidy in a small quilting store in Syracuse Nebraska where my wife was shopping. `Wade in the Water' was playing and I couldn't help but notice that voice. What a voice! Powerful or oh so tender as the music required. Now I should say, I'm a classical violinist and not really into this kind of music. The masterpieces of Beethoven and Brahms and the playing of Hilary Hahn are more my kind of stuff. But I was taken with that voice and had to buy the CD. After listening to it the first time I must say (almost to my embarrassment) that I loved it. Successive listenings have only impressed me more. The songs are so heartfelt, both the lyrics themselves and Eva's singing of them that I could not help but be drawn into the music. She was gifted with a marvelous voice, but even more wonderful is the way she used it. Her passion and expression makes the music sound as if she was singing directly to me and no one else. A couple of songs still bring a tear to my eye. The more I hear `I Know You by Heart' the more I think it may become my favorite simply because of the sentiment it expresses. But how can I place it ahead of `Songbird' or `Had I a Golden Thread'? Neither of them are second place songs - but I digress. She sings with a folk/blues/gospel flavor, but I think that is irrelevant. The making of good music in any genre is a miracle that touches the heart. Eva's music is a miracle and it will touch your heart.

Wonderful album. Autumn Leaves will knock you out . She was a HomeTown girl.

I love every song, what a beautiful voice

Until the Winter Olympics in which Michele Kwan skated to Eva's "Fields of Gold", I had never heard or heard of Eva Cassidy. Michele's performance that night was remarkable, but I was drawn immediately to the music. I knew the song but not the voice. All I could say was "who is singing that?" I was stunned by the purity, the phrasing, the eloquence. No one in my family knew who it was. A few minutes on the Net with just the song title and I found references to Eva. Within another few minutes I discovered she had already tragically left us at a very young age. I tried a few MP3 samples on the Net and instantly recognized Eva to be one of the greatest singers I had ever heard. I immediately went looking for every CD I could find of hers. This particular CD is a compilation from other CDs. I have it and strongly recommend it, but I would recommend you buy the source CDs. All of them have numerous other fine tracks. Listening to this woman sing is a transcendant experience. I can play "Fields of Gold" on the way to work and I am transported to a magical place, such that when the song ends and I transition back, I just have to play it again to experience the enveloping emotion of her voice. I can't think of another singer that does this to me. I would put Karla Bonoff in somewhat close company with Eva, and a fair amount of Sarah McLachlin, but Eva has far greater range and vocal sophistication. She revitalizes old, old standards like "Autumn Leaves" and "Wonderful World" with renditions that should be considered definitive. There are so many examples where she takes complete possession of other people's songs that I think this puts her on a musical pedestal with essentially no peers. Thanks to Michele Kwan for choosing Eva's music to skate to that night.

Bought used but in good condition. Tape played perfectly. Reasonably priced. Quick shipping. Would buy again from this vendor.

A sort of "Greatest Hits Of" album of Eva Cassidy's work, this album does a nice job of showcasing her ability to swing effortlessly among gospel, jazz, folk rock, traditional tunes, standards, and more. If you can only buy one Eva Cassidy album, this one may be the most representative of her range. On "Wade in the Water," a traditional gospel tune arranged by Eva Cassidy, she joins the sultry warmth of her voice winningly with an electric organ and Chris Walker's muted trumpet. It's a joy. "Autumn Leaves," that great Johnny Mercer tune, becomes in Cassidy's able hands, a tribute to regret and the loss of love. She manages to sound as though she is literally gazing out the window at falling leaves as she sings--such is the immediacy and intimacy inherent in her superb voice. I find myself wondering if Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie has listened to Cassidy's version of "Songbird"--McVie might find herself both impressed and jealous at the purity and emotionalism Cassidy brings to the song. On Pete Seeger's "Oh, Had I A Golden Thread," Cassidy sounds as though she's singing from the choir loft in a Baptist church somewhere in Alabama--the richness and church-like serenity with which she imbues the song would be perfectly at home in church, and the song takes on layers Pete Seeger might never have known he had in there when Eva Cassidy takes control of it. This album is a pleasure to listen to, all the more so for the flexibility and astonishing range it shows us of Eva Cassidy's unforgettable gift with song. Those who love her miss her.

I love love love Eva Cassidy & think she has one of the best voices ever. The quality was fine & no skips or breaks in the CD. But it came in a jewel case with a huge disfiguring ugly slash crack right across her lovely face. It was a bit startling & they could have done better. Yes used goods, but really? How hard is it to find an unbroken jewel case? Other than that, all good.

I didn't buy this, originally, because I thought it maudlin to reissue Eva's songs after her death...newly discovered material yes, but why songs she had already released? Boy, was I ever wrong! After wearing out two discs of "Live at Blues Alley", I went back in time to purchase "The Other Side" -- a jazz/blues/funk collaboration between the incredible Eva Cassidy and the funky Chuck Brown. Most fans of Eva have gone back to Blues Alley, where she originated "Autumn Leaves" and "Fields of Gold" -- two of the best tracks on "Songbird"; on Songbird, the audience appreciation has been eliminated, giving a welcome second listen to two songs that Eva makes her own (sorry, Sting). "The Other Side" contains her original version of the classic, "Over the Rainbow". Has there ever been an interpretation of an old classic that has touched people in the way that Eva touches you with "Over the Rainbow"? I think not. With Brown, Eva gets down and funky, and the true jazz leanings of her voice really stand out. Catch her rendition of "Fever", and you'll forget the original. But, I digress, on to "Songbird". I resisted its pull because of the way it was put together, simply collecting many songs that Eva had released while she was alive. But I've changed my mind and now purchase this CD for anyone who will listen -- there is a quality and a magic to this collection that transcends definition. Forget the tragic circumstances of Eva's death, and just celebrate her life with "Songbird", where her voice and eclectic mix of songs and arrangements transcend the Norah Jones', the Diana Krall's, and yes, even the Emmylou Harris' of the world. In addition to the incredible versions of the three standards mentioned above, Eva gives you 7 other songs, done exquisitely. From her gospel voice on "Wade on the Water", the old standards "Oh, I Had a Golden Thread" and "Wayfaring Stranger", done as only she could do them; from the title track of "Songbird", where she stretches over and beyond original artist Christine McVie; Eva takes you home on perhaps the CD's most enchanting piece, "I Know You By Heart". In this, which may have been a signature song, had she lived, Eva shows you all that an artist can add to a beautiful song -- with tone, timbre and feeling, she will make this song, and this CD come alive for you. With 498 reviews prior to mine, a rating of 4 stars, and being in the top 100 on Amazon this many years after release, you can bet that "Songbird" is the kind of a classic that everyone should own. Enjoy it, over and over.

エバァの歌声が素晴らしいです。

Si vous aimez Eva Cassidy, vous serez comblé. Voix cristallin, orchestration impeccable, du grand art ! Une disparition de cette artiste bien trop tôt.

It is unlikely that you know about Eva Cassidy.. not many know of her even in the US/Europe. But listen to her once, and you'd be hooked. The artist died prematurely, otherwise she'd have been among the top singers today. What a range, what a voice, what emotional singing! If you want to take a blind risk in buying an album, go for this one.

Mir war bekannt, dass Eva Cassidy Katie Meluas großes Vorbild ist. Das "virtuelle" Duett mit Katie Melua -"Wonderful World" - hat mich sehr berührt und neugierig gemacht. Daraufhin habe ich diese überwältigende Album erworben. Diese wirklich begnadete Stimme vermag Stücke in solcher Emotionalität und Tiefe zu interpretieren, dass es einem wirklich die Schuhe auszieht. Es ist schon schade, das ein solches Juwel nicht mehr unter uns ist. Heutige Popsternchen und vor allem diverse Produzenten-Teams sollten sich hier einmal ansehen, was wirklich einen Star ausmacht. Alle Stücke auf der CD sind mit glasklarer Stimme vorgetragen. Hinzu kommt eine - ich nenne es einmal sparsame - Instrumentierung, die allerdings perfekt und lebendig arrangiert ist. Man möchte die einzelnen Musikquellen (im Auto, CD-Player im Wohnzimmer, MP3-Player) gar nicht mehr ausmachen. "Autumn Leaves" ist eines dieser prächtigen Werke. Aber auch Stings "Fields Of Gold" ist bemerkenswert interpretiert und verleiht diesem ohnehin wunderschönen Stück noch einmal eine sehr persönliche Note. Gänsehaut ist aber in jedem Fall beim Titelstück garantiert. Sprachlos und zutiefst berührt bin ich jedesmal beim Hören von "Songbird". Wundervoll! Gäbe es mehr Sterne, ich würde sie vergeben. "Songbird" gehört garantiert zu den besten Alben, die ich mein eigen nennen kann. Einfach nur Klasse und nach dieser Hörprobe nicht das letzte von Eva Cassidy. Mit dieser Stimme kann sie nur im Himmel sein.

Love the voice and songs