Wild Is The Wind

I do love Nina. This particular album has a mix for me of what I enjoy. By the time I got to “That’s all I ask” I was really into it. The first few songs were my least favorite but the rest was so incredibly good. 4.5

Not really a Nina fan. Just too moody. Obviously she’s talented, so it’s clearly more about my lack of appreciation. I’m ok with that.

New to me, I really enjoyed this one. You can feel the emotion in every song. I thought the album was a little disjointed, but since this is a compilation of excess recordings that makes sense. For what it's worth, these songs are great on their own and I'm excited to hear more.

What a great album, really powerful and moving

I loved her voice, and four women was powerful. Glad to have heard this one.

nina’s vocal range is crazy. the accompanying jazz is also really good and compliments her singing as well. her vocals so powerful in most of these tracks as well. i knew nothing about four women prior to listening, but the build up to my name is peaches part was crazy. i only listened to sinnerman from nina so i already had an idea of how her vocals are but this album really takes it to a different level. i do think both sides are nice but there were still some weaker tracks that i didnt like as much. regardless, its a nice jazz album and i enjoyed the listen. 4 personal favs: what more can i say, thats all i ask, wild is the wind

Smooth, Mellow, and a voice that set a standard.

Great vocals paired with great songwriting is a surefire recipe for success. And this record definitely succeeds.

For me the voice Sounds horrorble

Ok if in the right mood

Very nice album, enjoyable jazzy at times, it was great having this in the background. Things go a bit slowly but overall a pretty good album, especially for 1966.

Pretty good, interesting time capsule. Not quite a 3 but I'll mark it as such.

Exquisite

Amazing!

It was good. Not really what I listen to, but it was good.

Oh, wow. My first Nina Simone album. As a pianist, I am kicking myself for never listening to any of her work outside of the few songs I was familiar with. Her playing is incredible. Oh, and her voice, the tone, the way she emotes. Four Women left me with tears stinging my eyes; I had to pause and just sit there saying wow over and over and process what I'd just heard. She is the sole songwriter on that one as well. What an incredible artist. I'm going to watch the documentary about her now and explore more of her work.

Interesting but ultimately not for me.

Four stars for Four Women, which is an amazing song and actually coincidentally makes me think of my wife with some of the names mentioned in the song. She said it made her cry. It is an emotional song and the album on the whole has a lot of emotion behind it. Four Women had the best musical accompaniment. The jazzy sound is slow and moody in most songs. It's not something I think I will revisit as a whole that often, but I appreciated having the chance to listen to it.

Not my type of music but it was okk

Nina Simone is so captivating. What a voice. What a story. What a lyricist. What an icon. Some of these make my hairs stand up

Wow, What's not to like? And to think that, for all these years, I wasn't aware that one of my favorite Jeff Buckley songs happens to be a Nina Simone cover: Lilac Wine. Saw a documentary on Netflix about Nina her life, and now listening to this album, I feel her pain, her anger, her sadness, her love. And then there's the cover art! 5*****

Nina Simone is a legend and this is a classic album!

I Love Your Lovin' Ways 3.4 Four Women 3.3 What More Can I Say 3.3 Lilac Wine 3.7 That's All I Ask 3.4 Break Down and Let It All Out 3.3 Why Keep On Breaking My Heart 3 Wild Is the Wind 3.1 Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair 3 If I Should Lose You 3 Either Way I Lose 3.4 Score: 3.263636364

Excellent voice. Not really my style of accompanying music though

This was a great album! The lyrics were sad and sorrowful, but also romantic throughout, and Nina’s voice is extremely comforting in all of those emotions.

I don't like Jazz. I'm not a Blues fan. That said, Nina Simone transcends traditional genres and somehow lands on "legendary." Not my favorite of her albums, but broad enough in range to appeal to anyone.

Kept me company

I’ve somehow managed to miss Nina Simone in the past, despite being a huge Jazz fan and just generally a fan of music from this era and with this political conscious. I’m definitely not gonna make that mistake again. I’ve talked about my dislike of overly bombastic love songs in the past, and That’s All I Ask is the perfect antidote for those, my god I think I’ve fallen completely in love with her because of that song alone. And this is the best version of Lilac Wine I’ve come across. Just masterful

She’s has a very unique voice that suits this band well, lyrics are interesting and pungent. 3.9

“I Love Your Lovin’ Ways” was upbeat and bluesy with Shirley Bassey vibes. It really got me excited for the listen ahead. Unfortunately, “Four Women” was a meandering song that I didn’t grasp onto the way I probably should have and “What More Can I Say?” felt like a song that wanted to put me to sleep for 3/4s of the track. “Lilac Wine” was a beautiful snooze fest and this carried on we get to “Break Down and Let It All Out”…which was lively but not a favorite with its shaky vocals. Then it was right back to sleep for the rest of the album. To be blunt, it was a struggle to get through this album, but it’s done and that’s one I won’t have to listen to again. Why this is one I have to hear, I’m not sure…but I'm jealous of those who find it so quintessential

An eloquently soothing voice. I appreciate her.

Okay but not my thing

breathtaking all around, Nina is the best vocal performer and the best pianist. A masterpiece

A really good album, I Love Your Lovin' Ways and Break Down And Let It All Out were my favorites in the album.

I liked a lot of this. 3.5/5

Nina’s voice holds the thrill, chill, and wonder of so much love, heartache, and pain. I find some of the arrangements too dense but now I find out that she was a piano virtuoso as well - those were her arrangements. The more you know…

Good album.

Front loaded with easier, commercial stuff before giving way to the good stuff.

Awesome

As much as jazz fills my heart with love and makes me happy, vocal jazz still remains as a bit of a grey area for me. I can deal with simpler jazz, but sometimes that genre is just too simple for me. Especially when the singers voice isn’t the strongest. I was ready to give this a lower score. But no. I just can’t. The more this went along, the more I became attached to it. I can’t pretend like this album isn’t beautiful. And easily the best vocal jazz album I’ve ever heard. But of course, who would receive that honor other than Nina Simone. I was not aware of this women’s excellence. But now that I am, I understand where the admiration comes from. She is an amazing vocalist and pianist. And one with far more vocal variety than I anticipated. And as a vocal jazz album, where the instrumentals tend to shine less and take the back seat, the band backing her is amazing as well. They are actually still very laid back, with it often just being Nina and the piano, with some bass and light guitar. But it’s always purposeful and effective. And sounds ahead of its time for 1966. Where the best this album has to offer lies is in Nina herself. She’s so cool it’s crazy. I can think of so many words to describe the emotions that are portrayed masterfully here. It’s so dramatic, and every song feels like an expression of pure love, infatuation, and desire. These are some of the most profound and powerful love songs I’ve heard in a very long time. Or how about my personal favorite song, Four Women, which confronts African-American stereotypes in a very powerful way. Or Lilac Wine. As much as I’m a huge fan of Jeff Buckley, I don’t think his cover compares to this version. For an album composed of mostly cut tracks from other albums, there is some fantastic songs here. Apparently Pastel Blues is even better, but unfortunately that isn’t on the list. Though for now, this works. Rating: 8/10

Never heard of her but I like her music.

It’s good, not really my jam, but definitely some talented musicians. The tracks definitely fit together and make a cohesive album.

Nina is an excellent passionate singer. Not a huge jazz vocal fan so I doubt it made the same impression that it would on others.

Lady got soul! Not all songs to my liking but that's just personal taste. I don't know any about Nina Simone's life but I feel like she's seen and been through sh*t.

60’s

Wonderful

Emotional and powerful. One hell of a musician and a stunning vocalist. Absolutely wild to think that something so powerful was a collection of unused recordings.

A brooding, melancholic vocal jazz record carried mostly by Nina Simone's powerful vocals and beautiful piano. Except for the track Four Women, all songs are about love and heartbreak. Very easy on ears and sleep inducing (in a good way). Favorites: I love your loving ways, Four Women, Lilac Wine, Wild is the wind (absolutely gorgeous), Either way I lose.

This was a beautiful album. Everything about it is unique and different, but that works for her. It is a mix of everything all at once but she does it in a uniquely beautiful way. I love that she doesn't feel she needs to fit into a box or a genre but just does her music the way she feels and in the way that expresses what she wants to share.

Love and appreciate this artist's work but prefer her more upbeat songs with more instrumentation. Nina and her piano are pretty but it's kinda slow.

I’m torn on this one. I love her voice and the drama and beauty she brings to her music. She makes even the slowest songs feel very alive. But a lot of this was so slow that it’s not something I’d choose to listen to very often. She is super cool though.

This is an extremely strong 2. I loved it. But can't give it a 3 based on other 3s.

Pocos álbumes me han dejado tan boquiabierto como esta entrega clásica de Nina Simone. Su potente voz, sus reflexivas y complejas letras y sus composiciones intricadas hacen de este LP un inmortal que no ha envejecido ni un día desde su entrega y que ha inspirado a artistas tan importantes como David Bowie y Jeff Buckley a hacer covers a pistas como la homónima "Wild Is The Wind" y "Lilac Wine". Probablemente, uno de los mejores trabajos de esta lista.

That’s one husky broad

omg why are there SOOOO many of those 60s jazz albums. she obviously can sing but dude i had enough jazz on this list.

The singing is skillful, but I don't like the songs. I found this boring to listen to.

Great - hard not to love. Thank you Nina

Beautiful voice and great for sampling (3.5/5)

Started off strong and enjoyable, then her voice turned on me and I dropped to more of a it’s ok.

This is given due to her voice so a 3.5. I understand if you don’t like her voice but I did

Eh. Her voice really didn’t do it for me it was too fluttery. The songs were just kinda the same vibe from song to song so this album was just kinda meh. I really didn’t think this was all that special of an album personally. Musically and instrumentally I thought it sounded good but that was about it.

felt very conflicted on this album. from musical composition aspect, I really enjoyed the pieces. vocally though, it just didn't do it for me. vocals felt flat & cumbersome. 2.5 stars

stunning vocals, like she's so good soul's instrumentals aren't really my thing but i didn't dislike them in this album

8/10. Insane talent. Great voice. Fairly unique. For me, personally, the similar sound from song to song began to get boring for my taste.

Uuhh. Lightened up, Nina

Amazing performances from Nina here, she totally kills it. Pretty good album.

Canta muy bien la negra y el piano de fondo destaca mucho, pero me aburre bastante.

Nina Simone's voice is incredible! She used it like it was its own musical instrument. So unique. She was an innovator.

7.45

Stunning but outside of a few tracks I can’t imagine listening to it again.

This album is really lovely, she has such an incredible range of tones and voices. The songwriting is also interesting, touching on mature themes at times that I find important to see in music.

Kinda disappointed, love her voice but this album fell flat. Can tell it was made from scraps! Liked the first song the best then 🫠

I like some Nina Simone songs, but this album wasn't it The first song was very good, but slowly went downhill. They got boring and all sounded the same. Not memorable in the slightest. I didn't like her voice at all on the slower songs It's a shame because I was looking forward to this one 2 ⭐️

goat

4/5

Annoying sappy Jazz.

Probably OK but not my taste

I dig jazz but never quite got into jazz singers. Nina Simone is very talented though. She pours emotion and soul into these songs, you can feel the mood in each word. Her delivery is impressive and varied, she can hold a long still note or go into an intense pulsing vibrato. Her tone conveys the message of the song deeper than the lyrics. Still, I don’t see myself revising this much but I’m glad I heard it. A handful of strong songs and a couple of ok ones.

The vocals are haunting, the piano sings and the drums and bass are the perfect compliment to it all. An album that feels like a novel in the best way possible

Ok little bit slow and somber but some interesting moments

Rich, meaningful, emotionally heavy. Sound can verge on boring sometimes, but consistently classy and well-executed. Best song: Four Women

Amazing voice

Four Women was a powerful song (lyrics). I like Lilac Wine. She has a nice, velvety, voice.

Less than what I had expected from Ms. Simone. Please tell me there is another album on this list that is more representative of her true talent.

Wow this is so good. I’ve been underwhelmed with some of the vocal jazz that has been on this list but Nina Simone’s voice is captivating. So much emotion and command. Highlight is Four Women, I love the storytelling here. And I forgot that Lilac Wine was a cover in Jeff Buckley’s album so it’s nice to hear the original here.

A very soulful album. Can tell that Nina Simone put her heart and soul into this whole album. Dark rich tone and great voice on a lot of it. Favorite Song: Lilac Wine, Four Women 3.9/5

I’ve heard the name so much with so much reverence that I was excited to get this! Turns out, I don’t get it. The music is pretty boilerplate and her voice is nothing special.

couldnt get past the vocals, simply not for me and from what i looked up this wasnt her best album NNN

Ooooohh!!! Sing it!

Rating of 5++. Nina Simone, a truly singular talent. Such powerful singing with equally powerful messages in her repertoire. The song "Four Women" encapsulates all of this. Her talent is on display throughout this recording including "What More Can I Say" and "Lilac Wine". Such a gifted performer!

Incredible album by a monumental artist. The goosebumps I got during “Four Women” cemented this as a 5-star album early on, and it stayed strong through the end.

Love her but this is not her best work.

Nina Simone has always been one of those artists I knew was great without ever really listening to her stuff Holy hell was I missing out - this is fantastic

Classic voice and sound. A bit sleepy for my taste though.

YES YESSHH

6/10

Never really listened to her before. So the album started strongly, and ‘Four Women’, wow what a song, quite the punch in the face. For me it dragged a bit with too many slow songs, and could have done with a bit more change in pace. Nevertheless, it felt really super intimate and her voice and piano playing is just unbelievable in range and emotion (kicks the modern nasal pop divas completely out of the water). All in all a nice surprise, a really enlightening listen. Defo want to hear more of her own self penned civil rights targeted tunes….

Just realised Nina is a bet of a genuine genius. Not sure if you would pigeon her as Jazz, she can do it all. Amazing story telling, Four Woman and Lilac win for example. Will check out more for sure.

A goddess among men.

I’m torn because Nina Simone is as close to a medium for the wonders of the great beyond as we can get and I love her, but just didn’t love this album.

some seriously powerful stuff on here. wow.

Great voice but this style of music is not for me. 2 stars D+.

What a voice. Just wow.

Vocal jazz, soul. I don't know which songs are original and which are not, but they are all sung with the same high quality and performed at the same high quality. I see why Simone is considered one of the greatest performers of all time just based on what I hear in this album. It makes me wish I was there for just one performance. I don't find any flaws in this album, I wish it was longer. Will revisit. 5/5

Man, now I have an aching in parts of my soul I didn't even know were there.

Day 4 - June 5th Jazz is not my thing, but Nina Simone has a voice of gold. When I die, she better be greeting me at the pearly gates. 5/5

👍 10/10

The album was quite good, the first two tracks specifically, became a bit of a chore at the end. Sample of 4 Women --> story of OJ the highlight, incredible song. Not to big of a jazz fan, I prefer that sound to be mixed into more modern elements like rap, even in some elements of rock, im thinking Floyd, but pretty solid nonetheless, can't wait for the next 1000 :) Overal 6.5/10

Beautiful and powerful voice. You can really hear the emotions in her words.

Good album, really enjoyed it

It’s very cool to like this sort of thing isn’t it. Was a bit worried by the first track but after that it took no convincing. Some really powerful, beautiful stuff on here. Thanks Nina!

Que sí, que cantas muy bien.

4.3 - Amazing album, amazing voice. Made me quite sad

Brilliant and beautiful. Fave Tracks: Four Women, Lilac Wine, That's All I Ask 4.3/5

I understand the cultural significance, but did not click with me

A mixture of some very forgettable songs and some very powerfuls songs. 2.4999 stars rounded down to 2.

Great album. Four women is an amazing tune. Listened to this with a 19 year old black cat sitting on my lap, who seemed to dig it on a different level, although we both appreciated how the instruments complimented and didn't overwhelm the vocals. Perfect arrangement for a lazy Sunday afternoon

This kind of history lesson is exactly why I am doing this thing. It's so wild to me that back around this time is was normal, and even expected, that artists would put out 3 or 4 records in a year. We saw that with willie, dolly, ella and now nina

After days of horribly boring and pretentious albums I get this gem. Nine Simone had such a soulful voice with well deserved confidence at times and timidity at others. Wonderful recommendation.

Nina Simone has character and a great voice. There’s definitely some quirkiness to the music and that keeps things interesting for sure. The second half slows things down a bit and that’s where it lost my full attention. Still appreciate this for what is still an interesting jazz album. 3 stars

I had never heard a Nina Simone album and it starts off really strong with I Love Your Lovin' Ways and Four Women. Both songs have different tones and shows how versatile Nina Simone was. I really enjoyed this album, though I am not sure I would revisit the album at any point. In the long run, it is not my type of music, but very much deserves to be heard. One thing I have learned about this project is there are albums that I am really glad that I heard, even if I was not going to listen to those albums very frequently. This music is timeless and I can hear these songs on the radio now. Nina Simone would also manage to make the songs less boring than Norah Jones, which is a low bar to clear of course.

Immaculate and inimitable.

Powerful vocals, smooth sound. Like it!

Fantastic album. What a voice and what originality in sound. Favorite is Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair

Just a lovely album from start to finish.

She was absolutely great

Более меланхоличный, чем альбом с голубой обложкой и ультрахитом, но при этом перепутать ее с кем-то другим абсолютно нереально. Лучшая песня - Lilac Wine.

3.5 What a voice.

Incredible, such a unique and powerful voice!

nina simone has the most divine voice. she commands attention with her powerful voice, and it's perfect for the romantic songs on this album. i began to suspect after i listened that the jazz and soul genres were made specifically for simone and her voice. what we're given is a delightful album that goes by all too fast. perhaps most interesting is the song "four women." simone, who never shied away from activism in her lifetime, documents the lives of four women and manages to touch upon slavery, sex work, oppression, and biracial life. this song, the only one on the album written by simone, stradles the line perfectly between overt and subtle. the anger at the end of the song is palpable. aware of her song "i wish i knew how it would feel to be free" as the anthem for the american civil rights movement, i wasn't surprised but was truly delighted to hear her activism force its way onto this album.

As I have said time and again in my reviews, jazz is not my forte, nor my preferred genre. But Nina Simone makes such a compelling case for it. Her vocals are somehow perfectly smooth and yet perfectly sultry; incredibly chill and relaxing, and yet keeps you on the edge of your seat to her her next note. Also, what I assume to be her playing piano on the album is simply divine, as well. She does it so gracefully and delicately. This one album is enough to show why Nina Simone was a force and a legend among jazz legends. There is just something absolutely powerful about her.

Wild is the Wind and If I Should Lose You are absolutely, stunningly beautiful songs! Rest of the album is quite strong as well.

Great!

Jazzy melancholic ballads. Not my favourite, really requires a certain mood.

Cool and jazzy, with a distinct sound. Nobody sounds like Nina Simone but Nina Simone. Definitely had an aged sound to it, but still very listenable and well recorded. The timbre of Nina's voice takes some getting used to, and can become grating (to me, at least) after a while, but she's great in smaller doses. Three stars.

Sensational

What a musical contrast to yesterdays Slipknot 😉 Not exactly my prefered style of music, but this album does me no harm. Overall a bit too aged for my taste. 2,5

Wild is right. Lots of emotions for a 37 minute album!

Beauty-ful

I'm woefully unfamiliar with most of Nina Simone's work and really only know the most famous songs, so I was looking forward to listening to a full album of hers. Being made up of leftovers and unused tracks, I'm not sure how much this album really represents her catalogue, so I'll probably do a deeper dive at some point. This particular album was a bit odd as a listening experience. I had to listen to it twice to really let it sink in. It opens with a happy doo-wop song that I feel kind of sets the wrong expectations for the rest of the album. The remaining tracks are a lot jazzier, a lot more stripped back, and a lot more heavy lyrically and vocally. It creates a bit of whiplash going from the opening track into Four Women. Similarly, the closing track Either Way I Lose starts off with a pretty jarring departure from the rest of the album (good song though). Nina Simone's voice is also kind of an acquired taste (at least for me). It's not that she doesn't have a great voice — she absolutely does — but she's an artist who uses her voice to convey emotion and isn't afraid to get "ugly" with it in the process. It's arresting and affecting, but you have to be prepared for that going in. If you're looking for a pretty voice and a passive listening experience, you're probably not going to have a good time. On a purely personal note, I don't love the super heavy vibrato style she often uses, but that's my issue. I was familiar with a couple songs on here from covers of them — I discovered Nina's rendition of Lilac Wine after first hearing Jeff Buckley's version, and I love them both. Each is haunting and broken in its own unique way. The second song is Wild Is the Wind — which I originally heard on David Bowie's Station to Station (which was my first album on this challenge) and didn't realize Nina had sung until this album popped up. Similarly, both versions bring different things to the table and are great in their own ways. Of course, there are other famous standards on here as well, like Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair, that I'd heard but not her version. I'm not sure how much I'd listen to this album on repeat, and there are a couple songs I'd probably skip. But overall it's a pretty good album. 4/5

I'm gonna be honest, Nina Simone is a wonderful voice, but I just couldn't enjoy this, even after two listens. I think it's an important album, but it just isn't for me.

Very nice

wanted to like this more than I actually did. still good tho

I listened to this on a plane from Florida. It was very good and I am tired.

Great singer, a little slow for me

Wow, Four Women was a very intense song. I love piano and powerful voices so this album is doing a lot for me. Nina is a beautiful singer. "Break Down and Let It All Out" is another powerful song. When did the fade out go out of style? Many of these albums from the 60s and 70s just fade out the song abruptly while she's still going. 8/10

Wanted to give her 5 but just couldn’t take the vibrato

Not her best songs/performances

I loved this album. From start to finish, it's a masterpiece in storytelling and conveying - and provoking - emotion. I was stunned listening to a few of the songs.

Nina has a wonderful deep voice. However, none of the songs really caught my attention on the first listen. Maybe Jazz isnt my thing. Ive never been the biggest jazz fan. The whole album kind of passed me by. A couple of tracks reminded me of amy winehouse. Quite a similar tone vocally in some aspects. Am i being harsh? Maybe. I recognised lilac wine from a jeff buckley cover straight away. The JB version of lilac wine is awesome, so i knew i had to give it another shot.I'll come back to it tomorrow. I came back for a second listen. Its definitely a grower for me. Nina, what a beautiful voice. Able to carry the entire album on its own practically. Lyrics are rather beautiful in several songs with lilac wine still being my favourite. I would give this album a 3.5 if i could with the view to giving it a 4 as it grows on me. I can see myself coming back to this in the near future and branching out into a few more of her albums. After all thats what the list is for! exploration and opening new doors! Admittedly, this is my first nina album. I had a quick check on her profile and immediately recognised more of her stuff. Wow, i cant wait to branch out into other tracks! Maybe this will break down the wall to the world of Jazz for me... Initial rating 3 2nd listen Rating 3.5

In a way it sounds kind of fresh for being a 60s album, like something that might have inspired Duffy or something. But on the other hand it wasn't really my cup of tea entirely. I think a 3 is suitable, but definitely plus points for sounding different than a typical 60s album!

Nina Simone is such a talented pianist and vocalist. I really enjoyed the arrangements on this album with some classics. I do however think the Nina Simone has better albums. This one lacks the greats of for example "Pastel Blues" ("Be my husband", "Sinnerman" and "Strange Fruit") or "I Put a Spell on You". Still this is a very good album which I enjoyed as a whole. This gets a weak 4, I just wish that the other albums were on this list too.

Wild Is The Wind was quite a great album for me. The piano playing and vocals were really what stood out here. The piano work was absolutely beautiful in a lot of the tracks and the vocals were incredible unique too with many of them sounding like a man is singing a lot of these tracks which i find kinda amusing but they still sound rather good either way. I feel that some of the songs are a little too minimalist for my liking but that wasn't a huge detractor for this album. Best Song: Break Down And Let It All Out Worst Song: Wild Is The Wind

So soulful, music that you don’t hear anymore

Oddly masculine voice and not in the smoky, sexy way either. I had to keep reminding myself that a woman was singing. And I didn't really enjoy the songs either, very melancholy and strange. There was nothing I liked about this album, except when it was done. Sorry, I know that's harsh, but still true.

Beautiful music. Some of it drags on a little too slowly.

Maybe 5, gotta give it another listen. Goes hard

Love Simone.

This is not really my thing, but it's perfectly fine and by far the best jazz-type (although I would say its a bit of a stretch to call it jazz) album I've had so far. Having said that, this version of Lilac Wine is absolutely amazing. I knewbthe Jeff Buckley and Elkie Brooks versions, but this one is just spectacular - plaintive, and broken and lost, you really feel the pain of loss and ending. Outstanding.

I can’t say enough amazing things about this album. Glorious

-i thought lilac wine was a jeff buckley original... -having to google if she was a guy or girl... yikes

She makes you feel the emotion. Breakdown is a great song that I feel almost no one else would put anything real behind. I could see myself giving this some relistens.

Sometimes it seems like the algorithm considers the weather. Today was a dark rainy day. Four women and Breakfown and Let it All Out hit me hard on my drive. Nina Simone conveys pain with her sound even when it's the pain of being in love. Black is the Color of My True Loves Hair does it right, so minimal. "... nothing too slick."

Amazing. I love everything about this album. Her voice and style is just spectacular.

Strong vocals, but nothing else stands out too much 3.0

Nice voice!

What a voice! Would definitely listen to again.

The title track is a revelation

Dont listen if not well rested

Not my thing.

1. your loving uuayz - 1 2. four uuomen - 2 3. uuhat more can i zay - 1 4. lilac uuine - 1 5. all i azk - 1 6. let it all out - 0 7 breaking my heart - 1 8. uuild iz the uuind - 2 9. black - 1.5 10. looze you - 2 11. i loze - 1

Not my favorite Simone album but still good.

Gutes Album aber einfach nicht mein Geschmack. Four women ist natürlich ein sehr starkes Lied

I only know the Nina simone classics we all do, so interested to hear a full album. This was a good listen (in the car, sunny day), amazing voice, nice piano and guitar. very little to complain about

Beautiful for sure but not real stand outs.

Beautiful. One of the greatest singers of all time.

A beautiful album. A soft, intense, beautiful voice and nice music that went well with it.

A bit dry, but not unpleasant. Didnt really stand out in my mind.

She has a great voice without a shadow of a doubt, but this just isn't for me. Was nice to hear the song Jay-Z sampled for The Story of OJ tho.

Nina Simone er algjörlega einstök. Textinn og flutningurinn á Four women magnaður. Flutningurinn á wild is the wind er svo eitthvað ekki af þessum heimi. Eftir að hafa hlustað á það nokkrum sinnum get ég bara ekki annað en sett 5 stjörnur á þessa plötu.

Nina Simone is excellent and this is obviously a great album. For some reason I wasn't particularly feeling it today and even listened to it twice, and it just kind of faded in to the background. I know it well enough though and know that it's excellent.

Absolutely majestic. the singing, the piano chef’s kiss 9/10

I honestly couldn’t tell if this was a man or a woman until they identified themselves as a woman. Great voice though. Very lounge jazz soul rainy day music. 7/10

Okay, bit too slow and lounge for me

Shoot me, but I just didn't enjoy the vocals

Nice and emotive... Just a bit irritating at times

Beautiful

This is an astonishing collection of songs, ranging from light jazz to bluesy love songs and the white hot anger of Four Women - showing different perspectives on the lingering evil of slavery and racism in America. The common thread is Nina Simone’s voice, a husky burr that soars into the stratosphere when it needs to.

I'm generally not up for vocal jazz but this album is great, not dull a single second, impactful in its themes, and what a voice!

I liked this album and would like to re-listen to it sometime soon. Still, whenever I listen to Nina Simone, I always enjoy it but it never fully clicks with me, and it’s kind of frustrating.

God what a voice, how can you not love her. Honestly the only flaw of this album is it feels kinda slapped together, which it is, but who cares when the songs are this good.

wasnt a huge fan of her voice

beautiful album, some of the best music i've ever heard in my life.

Jazz not my thing

Insanely good, one of the greatest singers of all time, really unimpeachable stuff here

Nice music, but not the sort of thing I'd listen to on my own time.

Beautiful. Powerful.

Ice!

Think I’ve said it before - I think I could listen only to Nina for the rest of my life and never get bored…

Strong voice but not totally my bag

Some great recordings here, showcasing Nina's distinctive warbly voice and delivery alongside trademark yearning and pain. Nice mix of musical styles, too. The self-penned "Four Women" is a stand-out, as is "Black is the Colour..". Also the source of notable cover versions down the track (including one of my personal favourite David Bowie numbers). Would add half a * if I could.

The book's essay almost seems obligated to include a Simone album hinting that the later stuff was too political.There are so many originals, compilations and remixes available (over 75) it would be hard to pick albums for my personal list. I guess this shows her range and variety. There is a line from Billy Holiday. Nina requires a lot more research. I'm finding I like the stuff from the 50's and 60's best. 4+

Nina Simone has an incredible voice hat she puts on display on this album. I love the way that this era of music sounds and the use of full bands. I thought at times it was a bit slower than I would like but the music was still solid in those times.

I mean how good was 4 women. Simone's ability to express emotion through her voice is top tier. This is definitely an album I was happy to get and would love to get a physical copy and a record player to listen on.

I enjoy Nina Simone and when this came up I felt good about the day. However 2 runs through and I didn't end up as wildly excited as I expected. The slower stuff didn't seem to suit here voice and I found the album dragged a touch. I really enjoyed some of the jazzier piano stuff and some tracks were of her usual high standard.

this is real soul music. i find it meanders a little, the album starts out great but by the end I'd had my fill. Nina's voice just grates a little after prolonged exposure, BUT the messages within are powerful.

Powerful, emotional performance. First half of the album was very enjoyable. Second half dragged as the songs all got very samey. Also the reveal of the final name in Four Women made me burst out laughing which was probably not her goal when writing that song

Powerful vocals and intensely emotional. Probably too much so for every day listening, but a super intriguing listen for me nonetheless.

i love your lovin' ways four women break down and let it all out either way i lose

One of the best vocalists ever

Absolutely lovely listen

Förlåt Nina men jag gillar det inte. Det är tråkigt och jag orkar knappt lyssna klart. Jazziga trummor är bland det värsta jag vet. Men Break Down And Let It All Out är helt okej så en 2a kan det få bli.

Grym röst. Tråkiga sånger. Ett album med låtar som "blev över" från tidigare sessioner (enligt wiki). Då kanske man inte skulle gett ut det?

Jag tycker förvisso att Nina har gjort många låtar som är bättre än de på den här skivan (även om t ex Four woman och Break down and let it all out är riktigt bra). Det är också rätt spretigt, men för mig är hennes röst så jävla grym och trollbindande att det ändå är njutning rakt igenom.

obra de arte principalmente a musica final

Nina Simone simultaneously feels nostalgic yet piercing. Songs like Four Women call out historical inequities created by slavery. She is an iconic singer. Unfortunately, there are times where Nina's vocals let her down. The main chorus on Why Keep On Breaking My Heart feels off, and I hate to listen to it. Best Songs: Four Women, Lilac Wine, Break Down And Let It All Out Worst Songs: Why Keep On Breaking My Heart

So very pretty and thoughtful! There is a lot of wit, soul, and heart in this album to me. And the songs are varied enough in overall sound to keep me mostly interested throughout.

Lovely voice. Lovely songs. Some are a little too slow and drawn out for me to listen to again, but I get it.

Not really for me but still highly influential and unique

A high quality record, very classy & elegant and listenable. It has many qualities of a 4/5 but personally it doesn't strike me with the feels, so I'm settling with a 3.

Didn't really connect with this one. I haven't listened to much of her catalog before and I wasn't engaged with this one.

Not my everyday listen, but Nina Simone would be a great artist to listen to while relaxing on a quiet day with nothing to do.

Enjoyed this

Good jazzy bluesy album

Great voice / low key jazz feel

While I appreciated the artistry and would love to see her live. I didn’t love the album. I am very happy that I listened to it. I’ve heard numerous people find Nina Simone as an inspiration and I totally get that.

Enjoyed the songs. It was an interesting mix but a very slow album. I would probably listen again.

I found that I liked the shorter songs better. The longer songs (like "Four Women") I felt were a bit overwrought. I liked the idea of the song "Four Women," and maybe it works better live. The studio version just seemed a little too much for me. Still, it's Nina Simone. That voice is pretty iconic. Top tracks for me: "Break Down And Let It All Out," "Either Way I Lose," "I Love Your Lovin' Ways"

So two jazz albums back to back but two very different artists in Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. Vaughan's vocals are like a bird. Simone's vocals are fierce, which perfectly match her personality and legacy. Read up on her backstory if you don't know anything about her. Simone tickles the ivory too and she's pretty good. Most of the songs are covers but check out Four Women, a Simone original - what an emotional performance with a thunderous ending (and the lyrics are sublime). The next two songs, What More Can I Say? and Lilac Wine, are softer pieces but drip with just as much emotion (and the former has its own thunderous moment). And once those songs got their grip on me, I could not take my ears off the album. Well, except maybe Why Keep on Breaking My Heart - the style didn't seem to fit with the rest of the album. The title track that follows brings it all back though. I think this is the only album we get of hers on the 1,001 list and that is a shame because she is mesmerizing.

niiiiina perfekt zum goya käfig putzen an einem diesigen märz feiertag mit dem besten lied der welt (either way i lose)

Nina's incredible but I don't think this is one of her better records, despite Lilac Wine.

Beautiful voice, calm and peaceful music

Notable tracks: Four Women, What More Can I Say?, Lilac Wine, That’s All I Ask, Wild Is The Wind

I can’t think of another voice as pure and devastating as Nina Simone’s. I didn’t quite get it when I was younger, but it has resonated with me as I’ve gotten older. Beautiful.

Heel goed album, Nina is insane

Favourite songs: I Love Your Lovin' Ways, Break Down and Let It All Out, Four Women, Either Way I Lose, Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair Least favourite songs: Wild is the Wind 5/5

No

Raw, pure. Essential listening for anyone with the simple gift of ears

Nice listen. Good album 3.5

Hard to believe that this album was made up of leftover tracks from recording sessions for other albums. Great arrangements topped by a wonderful voice.

You can here the struggle in her voice...in her lyrics...it's powerful and unique

Day79 - beautiful album

After the Kraftwerk abomination this record is literally life. Bumping to four stars for saving me from the bottomless chasm of random early 80s Moog sounds I just experienced.

Can imagine it's an important album, definitely at the time, but wouldn't relisten. Was cool to hear some original version of songs that have been sampled in other songs (Story of OJ for example), but overall was a little grand/epic for my tastes.

did not listen

Nina was always very florid and this album definitely ratchets it up. I think she needs a bit of instrumentation, because then she tones it down a bit.

Blues and jazz and sadness.

This chick can sing wow

8/10 A force of nature What a voice, this album is mesmerising despite containing none of the big songs I know her for Nina + piano + microphone is pure magic, so those more simple arrangements are absolutely perfect The more uptempo/showy songs are more mixed in their success Lyrically there is some of the depth I expected, but a bunch of it is basically “I might as well be dead if you left” Best: Lilac Wine

Uniquely done. Simone is best in slow mode. If you removed the fast, snappy tracks and left the record alone with the slow stuff, it would be far better!

Alot of soul, some jazz sensibilities, and excellent vocals. This is a solid album.

Nina Simone is one of the great jazz vocalists. The fact that this album is made from leftovers from other albums is astonishing.

What a voice!

I understand that her lyrics and message are very powerful. The first two songs were decent. However the music and her voice were problematic. The songs were sloppy and nor well put together. Her voice is great at times, but out of tune on runs and other moments. Not great.

Amazing voice

3.5 great music, a bit boring but still great faves: lilac wine

Immediately feeling it just from the beginning of the first song. So good.

Almost country at some points. So deep and beautiful but not full of the jazz bangers I know her for

Favourite Song: That's All I Ask

Van Paul Simon naar Nina Simone. Morgen dus Kiss (met Gene Simmons) en dan woensdag Eva Simons voor het kwartet. Kutzooi. Ik vind dit best goed, hoewel ik normaal lang niet altijd kapot ben van dit soort muziek. Met name die vibrato in de stem wil me bij anderen nog wel eens irriteren, maar bij haar kan ik het hebben. Haar stem is een bijzondere combinatie van romantiek, drama, pijn en vastberadenheid, zonder dat te het hard wordt. De blazers op dit album zijn zowaar fijn om naar te luisteren. De drummer levert subtiel ontzettend goed werk af, als ie mee mag doen. Ik ken haar eigenlijk vooral omdat ze gretig gesampled wordt in de hiphopwereld, maar blijkbaar vind ik op z'n tijd haar eigen werk ook best lekker om te luisteren. Ofja, "eigen werk" dan: Op 'Four Women' na zijn het allemaal kuvvers.

Powerful voice

Her voice is unforgettable.

What an incredible talent. Also, I never knew that Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine was a cover!

Simply the best

This isn't a perfect album, but what's good is so good that I just don't care. Nina Simone is incredible and this album is a bunch of cuts of her doing her thing. Four Women and Lilac Wine are the biggest standouts to me, but I also loved Break Down And Let It All Out and Either Way I Lose. I keep remembering how much I love old soul music from this list. Just great stuff.

Yep, this one was gooood. 4 stars

Really entertaining and interesting. Lots of variation in tone. Great '60s album that is not mainstream rock. Loved it.

This was fine. No complaints, but nothing Earth shattering.

This album truly goes together as one piece. Fantastic performance and Nina truly has her own style.

Good

Easy Jazz introduction- 4 women has strong lyrics. Can see influence.

Well, here we go. Pound for pound, genre for genre, this is the best single voice we've had through 750+ albums; it's not a revelation that Nina Simone is an outstanding singer but fucking hell this is deep, emotional, personal, impassioned, rich, textured, layered and probably thousands of other adjectives too. There isn't a bad song on the record but there are some bloody good ones; Four Women is majestic and dominating, Break Down And Let It All Out is jaunty and ever so familiar while being original by itself, Wild Is The Wind is epic. Gonna give this a 5/5 because, while it's not gonna be a regular listen for me, it commanded my full attention, has depth of quality, and was intoxicating at its best moments.

This is really good, I think, but not quite my cup of tea. I can definitely acknowledge that her voice is mega strong and unique, but I just don't like it that much. That said, the simplicity of the arrangements and the powerfulness in the lyrics make it a really engaging listen, the storytelling is fabulous and it flows between moods really well. I think it's a 4/5 for me, there's so much to like about this, but I just can't quite get on board with it. 

Amazing album.

Haunting songs with a melodic voice. This album just punched me in the gut! First time listening to Nina Simone. Definitely will listen to more.

Nina Simone has both the most masculine and most feminine voice ever but it still sounds great. This was a pretty laid back and overall unremarkable album but I still enjoyed it all the way through even if I can remember the titles of any tracks I liked. I’m also drunk while writing this despite listening to the album earlier in the day.

Beautiful voice

This album quickly got intensely emotional... I didn't have bandwidth for this yesterday. Rating it 5 stars even though I couldn't finish it for now.

Wow. That’s all I can say.

Masterpiece! It is very relaxing and sad.

Chill. Calming. Sometimes the recording quality/stereo panning is a bit ehhhh. But got more used to it as it went on.

spectacular!

Very good

Sykt chill som alltid

This is awesome on vinyl... the depth and warmth vinyl provides makes this a 'drop it on and sit and sip a drink' awesome!

נינה מציגה כאב אישי וחברת, שכל כך הרבה פעמים אחד הם. היא עושה את זה בשילוב של רגש, קרבה וחייזריות כמו שרק היא מסוגלת.

I love Nina Simone's voice and her bluesier arrangements. There is some of this on here, but a lot of jazz-influence and other elements that I don't gravitate towards as much with her music. This is very good, but not as consistent as I would like.

lijepo al nis mi nije bilo wow

Nina zna kaj radi al nije tolko moj đir.

Amazing. Her voice, her playing, the emotions. Lilac Wine is an absolute highlight. It’s an all-time great and I can’t believe I’m hearing it for the first time. I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard a composition that was as complex. I listened to the album twice in a row. Six stars.

Incredible vocals and emotional jazz piano with poignant and thought-provoking lyrics.

Great album. This listen showed me that I should really try to learn or at least follow along with lyrics. But even not knowing the lyrics wasnt a hindrance because Nina is so good at conveying emotion with the tone of her voice.

Her voice is amazing, but outside of a couple highlights I found most of the arrangements to be a little plodding.

Beautiful vocals. Only passive listened but really enjoyed.

5.5/10 Amazing performance, but the songs just aren't that interesting to me. Highlights: Four Women Either Way I lose

A fantastic voice raising a fantastically uneven batch of songs. Starts well with I Love your Lovin Ways: Surprisingly bluesy and straightforward, but works really well with the rasp in her voice. Four Women seems a bit of an oddity out of context, but after reading it’s inspired by her play about black female archetypes, it makes more sense. Feels like a song from a musical trying to introduce the characters in a ham-fisted way, (‘I’m awfully bitter these days, because my parents were slaves’ is a bit on the nose) but the performance is great. To be honest, she could read the phone book with that voice and it would still be great. What More Can I Say is fine, a bit Nina by numbers, but Lilac Wine in fubulous. I always loved the Jeff Buckley version, and it appears he’s lifted his reading almost wholesale from this. It’s such a great song and needs a great voice like hers to do it justice. Perfect tipsy yearning. That’s All I ask: her voice is almost like the trumpet among that brass, the words are pretty incidental. Break Down And Let it All Out: Fairly forgettable song, alchemised by her singing. Shows the huge range of her voice when the next track - Why Keep on Breaking My Heart - comes on, venomous one minute, then smooth the next. It almost sounds like a different person. The latter is not a wonderful song, sounds like Dean Martin should be performing it in a cheesy 50s romcom. Wild Is The Wind: This is more like it. That tinkling piano wrapping itself round her voice. Not many people do the mournful thing better. It seems the more stripped back the arrangement, the better it showcases her. The same thing is true of Black is the Colour. A great singer, but not a great album

Wild What is the Wind Not listened to many of her albums, never know where to start. Obviously for a lot of US singers and bands of the 50s and 60s their albums were a chance for record companies to release whatever they could and make a quick buck, rather than a chance to make an artistic statement. I gather Nina falls into this boat too. Pretty sure anything I could say about her has been said a thousand times before a thousand times more eloquently. Her voice and piano playing are so expressive that they elevate some of the more pedestrian jazz blues songs on here, but the good songs she can take it to a completely different place. Four Women, which I’ve never heard before, is absolutely superb. I love that descending piano and bass motif. Veers into easy listening in places, not necessarily a bad thing, but she’s so incredible it feels a bit of a waste. More of the upbeat RnB of I Love Your Lovin’ Ways and jazzy folk of Black is the Colour of my True Love’s Hair would make for a great album. I get her background is more in the Jazz tradition but I think she’s at her best when she goes a bit beyond that. What More Can I say is good too, didn’t like it much on first listen but it stood out more the second and third time. Lilac Wine (or Lilaaac Wine) is nice too. Tricky one to rate. I’m not a fan of some of the songs, not that they are bad they just don’t speak to me, but it’s Nina Simone so even if the songs are horrendous it has a pretty high base level. And Four Women is just incredible. Ultimately it doesn’t feel like an album, more a collection of songs, so for that reason I’ll stick with a high end 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'll give Wild is the Wind a 6.5/10. The beginning was a bit slow and experimental which tbh I think experimental only sounds good if it's new cause old "experimental" has already been used over and over by other artists. But gotta be honest the last two songs kinda hot pretty well, not good enough to make it on my liked playlist bit good nonetheless. 6.5 being most of the album is pretty middle of the road but the last half bumps it up a bit.

Four women 👌🏻 What more can I say 👍🏻 Lilac wine 😫 Break down and let it all out 👍🏻 Either way I lose 👍🏻 Simplistic but strong vocals that touch my soul and bring joy. Why keep on breaking my heart felt like it removed me from the moment and the album. Not in a good way.

Nina Simone is one of the best jazz voices ever