I'm a longtime fan of Eva Cassidy's wonderful voice and style. I think I have all her albums and those albums provide a lot of the background music for my life. Her all-too-soon death took a marvelous talent from this world.
That said, though, I found this album a bit disappointing. I think that with every now-deceased beloved artist, there exists a file somewhere of recorded songs that were considered for earlier albums and put aside because they weren't quite good enough. Then, when the artist dies, there's a scramble to unearth these items and create an album from them. It doesn't always work: those songs were filed away for good reason.
And while I find this album enjoyable, that seems to be the case here. ... Read More:
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..is the only word for this album. I have never heard such a pure voice - you may have heard the songs before but you have never heard them sung like this. Eva's voice was unique - how very sad that the only video in existence of her singing is some amatuer footage taken at Blues Alley - where some of these tracks were recorded. If you can listen to "Autumn Leaves" without a lump in your throat - then you have no soul my friend.
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As I read the reviews from not only this wonderful CD but Eva's other ones I am struck by how unanimous the praise is for her. And then I look at the date of the reviews and I begin to worry and wonder. There does not seem to be any from the last five years. Right beside the reviews is an ad wondering what is wrong with young people who think Man Ray was a poisonous fish when he was an artist. Personally I think if Man Ray had thought about it he might have wanted to be Manta Ray as well. But I digress. Just as we are losing our capacity to recognize an artist who was working seventy years ago we are losing our ability to reach out to a recording artist who has been dead for only twelve years.
Surely there are younger listeners who are more concerned ... Read More:
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I was heartbroken to hear that Eva Cassidy herself considered Live at Blues Alley to be a lesser work. I think it is her best album and it is the one I reach for first when I need an "Eva Fix." Each song is an individual treasure, and together, they form artistry that continues to make me mourn the loss of one of the 20th Century's finest voices, and people.
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This album has to be listened to to be believed. It is simply amazing with more of my favourite songs all on one album. This album was released in 2000 even though Eva died in 1996 of cancer. Unfortunately, the album only reached number 25 in the charts unlike Songbird, Imagine and the most recent American Tune which all reached number 1.
For those that have never heard of Eva, she was an American whose style could never be categorised which proved to be the biggest downfall in her career as no one would sign her unless she was in a specific genre. I would say the style of this album is a little more folk and bluesy than some of her other albums and the tempo is a lot slower in e.g. Anniversary Song than you may find in other songs such as 'How Can I Keep ... Read More:
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This album has to be listened to to be believed. It is simply amazing with more of my favourite songs all on one album. This album was released in 2000 even though Eva died in 1996 of cancer. Unfortunately, the album only reached number 25 in the charts unlike Songbird, Imagine and the most recent American Tune which all reached number 1.
For those that have never heard of Eva, she was an American whose style could never be categorised which proved to be the biggest downfall in her career as no one would sign her unless she was in a specific genre. I would say the style of this album is a little more folk and bluesy than some of her other albums and the tempo is a lot slower in e.g. Anniversary Song than you may find in other songs such as 'How Can I Keep ... Read More:
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..is the only word for this album. I have never heard such a pure voice - you may have heard the songs before but you have never heard them sung like this. Eva's voice was unique - how very sad that the only video in existence of her singing is some amatuer footage taken at Blues Alley - where some of these tracks were recorded. If you can listen to "Autumn Leaves" without a lump in your throat - then you have no soul my friend.
>>More Details
I was heartbroken to hear that Eva Cassidy herself considered Live at Blues Alley to be a lesser work. I think it is her best album and it is the one I reach for first when I need an "Eva Fix." Each song is an individual treasure, and together, they form artistry that continues to make me mourn the loss of one of the 20th Century's finest voices, and people.
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Fans of Eva Cassidy surely won't be disappointed with this album. I've been playing it over and over since I bought it, the simple arrangements and Eva's hauntingly beautiful voice makes it the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing summer evening. Simply wonderful!
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I am a big Eva fan and was delighted when i found this album of duets with the wonderful Chuck Brown. They sing together with such ease and you can just hear the fun they were having making this fantastic music. This album can always put me in a good mood. A must buy.
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