Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone is the greatest singer of all-time. Im so fucking serious

Stellar record where 'Four Women' makes you wonder how an album consisting of only original songs would have turned out.

Really good

Great voice

Good

A very beautiful album with a really palpable emotional energy to it. Nina is fantastic throughout, and her lyricism is always something to behold. This is a super mellow album that didn't quite keep me engaged through the whole thing, but the moments that grabbed my attention the most really pulled me in. Highlights: If I Should Lose You, Either Way I Lose, Lilac Wine, Black Is The Color of My True Love's Hair, Why Keep On Breaking My Heart, Four Women Least Favorites: Break Down And Let It All Out 8.5/10

B+ I Love Your Lovin' Ways 3 Four Women 4 What More Can I Say 4 Lilac Wine (From "Dance Me A Song") 4 That's All I Ask 3 Break Down And Let It All Out 5 Why Keep On Breakin My Heart 3 Wild Is The Wind 4 Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair 4 If I Should Lose You 3 Either Way I Lose 4 Very good album, fantastic cover art, and some timeless tracks. Sometimes 60s music can feel dated, but Nina Simone is ETERNAL.

An emotionally rich, passionate and dramatic and technically excellent vocal performance, with great songwriting and instrumentation to go with it. One or two songs feel like they could do with a bit more development though. Four Women is handily the standout track and is incredible. Easily a 4/5 could be a 4.5 on another day.

8/10. Not the sort of thing I'd usually listen to but thoroughly enjoyed. The vocals are obviously fantastic and Simone often does weird and unexpected things which make it even better imo. Big fan of the crescendos which pair her powerful voice with some dramatic piano. Fav songs are Four Women, for the hard hitting lyrics and intensity and That's All I Ask for the very satisfying jazzy riffs.

Well this was dope. The front half was basically all bangers, and while it faded in the second half, still a stellar album. The vocals were all over the place (in a good way), the lyrics hit even the first time through, and the moodiness of the backing was great. Super suave album.

Any album featuring Wild Is The Wind, Lilac Wine and Nina Simone is time well spent

So, when I first started this album, I wasn’t sure how it would go. The first song I Love Your Lovin’ Ways just felt like regular 60’s pop, complete with female backing vocals. I felt that this would end up something that wouldn’t leave an impression on me. That feeling was flung right out the window when Four Women came on right after. Nina grabbed my attention and refused to let go. She was in firm control as she took me through the gauntlet of emotions. She brings power through on Four Women, tackling racial stereotypes with authority. The ending where she boldly sings “My Name Is Peaches” gave me goosebumps. She brings passion to the love songs. The title track and What More Can I Say touched me in a way not many love songs have before. But most importantly, she brings raw emotion to the sad songs. In particular, Lilac Wine nearly broke me. The pain in her voice just hits differently. And I know that phrase gets tossed around a lot, but I can’t think of anything close to it. This is extremely close to a five for me. I feel the only thing that takes it a bit down are the more poppier tracks like I Love Your Lovin’ Ways. Other than that, this blew my expectations. What a remarkable talent. Favorite track: Lilac Wine Other hits: Wild is the Wind, Four Women, That’s All I Ask, What More Can I Say, If I Should Lose You

This isn’t what I normally sit down to listen to but her skill is undeniably massive. I can now say I’ve listened to Nina Simone and I can appreciate her.

Sad, haunting and pretty

Vocal focused album with nice songs

Deep, textured, earthy voice. Every song she sings with conviction and takes her time to feel the emotions. Also easy to understand the words. Not sure I’d listen to it often so 4 stars

Great jazz vocal and lyrics. Not always super groovy, but most parts is.

Poco que decir acerca de la voz de Nina Simone. Un rango impresionante, una voz única que suena muy diferente según la canción. Las letras son muy dramáticas, y se nota el giro hacia temas más políticos que la artista iría tomando. La música es súper apasionada, como es típico de la época, y hecha con muy buen gusto. Un disco excelente.

Smooth, elegant and simple.

When I heard the 12 bar blues in "I love your loving ways", I knew I was in for a TREAT. Which might be a good time to say that 12 bar blues are more of the time boring (expect when jazzheads do em <3), but when they be an album opener OOOOOOOOOOOO goodness how much do they cook. so yeah, what more can I say? beautiful brass lines on the songs which have em, the piano is just drop dead GORGEOUS OMMGGGGGGG she is such a talented pianist as well, esp climaxing on If I Should Lose You. Either Way I Lose is such a clever idea of having bass vocals doing... bass hahah. what a wonderful way of ending the album little issues having her vocals sometimes not really hitting it tonely but that's prob due to experience compared to her 70's stuff. def deserves to be on not only a top 1001 but a top 201 albums :D fav song: That's All I Ask

The best way to describe this is as a Showcase of Utter Vocal Talent. I found myself enjoying the more uptempo groovy songs, but the storytelling on tracks like Four Women was impeccable. Overall, solid stuff. Fave Songs - I Love Your Lovin' Ways, Four Women, Break Down And Let It All Out,

This album conveys emotions that she has felt beautifully. Whilst not the type of music I would go back to, her music highlights struggle, joy, and despair being captured by her powerful but gentle voice. Representing the intricacies of her life and life in general for Black women. Favourite songs: What more can I say & That's all I can ask

Deeply soulful.

Loved the soul and depth of her voice. Good musicality.

Beautiful moments. Quiet, reflective, sad but some hope. This was a collection of Nina songs I wasn’t familiar with.

la jodida goat, es una genia. tuve que subir este álbum a musicboard porque no figuraba en su discografía

Whoa, her voice. Fantastic and powerful. There's a crooner vibe, but with more passion and pain. A bassier Billie Holiday (whom I prefer). Tracks 7 and 8 were beautiful. I can see why Wild is the Wind is the title. I will definitely be listening to this one again. 4 here.

Favorite Track: Four Women

It's a great album, I love her voice, but it is a little too depressing for an everyday kind of listen.

Great, really emotional. Really surprised to hear black is the color on there

So many songs that fill my cup, and such an emotion filled album - Lilac Wine always leaves me with a tear, Wild is the Wind I heard courtesy of Bowie and somehow I hear the same level of passion by both Simone and him. I love this album dearly.

Wowza! Sultry and moody in all the right ways. I want an entire album of “I Love Your Lovin Ways”.

Nina gives good voice

Unexpectedly varied and interesting if in that mood.

Loved this, would come back for mpre

Wow. Soulful, beautiful, awesome.

dope.

Really good album, fantastic vocals, powerful lyrics, definitely relistenable

Stand out tracks: "Four Women" (powerful with great vibe), "Lilac Wine," "If I Should Lose You," and "Either Way I Lose." I haven't listened to a lot of Nina Simone before, but enough that I shouldn't have been surprised by how amazing her voice was. I was still blown away. The instrumentations were so interesting and had a lot more variety than I expected in terms of style. I particularly enjoyed the use of male voices as a sort of bass line in "Either Way I Lose"

Nina always hits the right spots.

Nina Simone is the musical embodiment of the pain and sorrow of the African-American community. Her deep voice and tortured arrangements bruise even the sweeter songs she sings. Her’s can be challenging emotional albums to deal with. But they give clarity and feeling to the tortured reality of being a second-class citizen and dealing with the mental health challenges that plagued her life. Saved Songs: - Four Women - Why Keep Breaking my Heart - Either Way I Lose

This makes me want to drink a martini and have a cigarette in a smoky jazz bar

Nina Simone’s music never gets old. She’s a powerhouse and this album is a proof of that. It’s amazing how rich and enchanting this album is. Song after song, it brings warmth and emotion. I love it.

Fantastic album, my #1 out of ten that I've listened to thus far. My favorites are What More Can I Say?, That's All I Ask, and Wild Is The Wind. Simone's voice is incredible, plus I'm a sucker for piano.

Great artist. Great voice.

Not the best Nina Simone album out there but you won’t be disappointed listening to this and chilling out

4 stars for 4 women

Either Way I Lose is actually my dad

Hauntingly beautiful.

This is the kind of music the Squid Game Elites listen to This is the kind of music you need Spotify Premium to listen to This is the kind of music that I listen to on a polyvinyl chloride record when smoking a high-quality very large Cuban cigar with Cuban hero and subject of my IB History HL Historical Investigation Fidel Castro and/or when getting Tipsy with Shaboozey, my favourite country artist!!!!! Starting a song with "my skin is black" is a next-level maneuver, also what is with the album covering having what I presume to be sponsors, but also glazing the "unforgettable" Four Womenl; they got that part right. Artistry is pretty good though. gotta love the wine from the lie-lock tree. This album is really good, I have no serious qualms with it, I thought that it would be 3, but it picks up after the first 2 songs, leaning more into delicate vocals with a masterfully played light and aflight piano. My pre-dispositions against this album made me reluctant to give it a 4, mainly because everything gets a 4 nowadays, but it felt like a disservice giving it anything lower, truly a piece of media of a time. Tangent crashout: it might just be me but why does every Black Women from the 60s/70s on this tracker sound like a man? Crazy premise, but it happened with this album when I first listened to it, and with Joan Armatrading as well. Starting with Armatrading, from the name I thought she was a woman, then I saw the album cover and thought she was a black teenage boy, and her vocals supported this hypothesis. Then I saw her spotify profile, and couldn't draw a solid conclusion. A google search settled it, and I didn't think anything of it until this album. The first song has Simone's deeper vocals contrasted with more feminine background singers within a back-and-forth love song, creating the illusion of a male vocalist. Knowing that both Simone and Armatrading are female breaks the illusion, but you can still picture a man behind the microphone in certain songs. Is it just coincidence that all black women(?) (sample size = 2) from the 1960s are somewhat androgynous in name, voice, and appearance? Is this what republicans feel like when they see a trans person?? Valid crashout? (most certainly not) And on the topic of Joan Armatrading that album should have been a 3

Overall her best album, consistent all the way through and with some of her most haunting performances ever.

good, easy listings album

很喜歡女聲的唱腔和聲線給我的感覺，可以很多變卻仍保有非裔歌手的那種渾厚。尤其是聽到「Four women」的時候，就被她多變聲音的情感吸引，讓我更好奇這首歌。看了可詞後就更喜歡這一首。講述故事的口吻，配上四個奴隸制度框架下的四個角色，有溫柔、無奈、無辜、憤怒，特別在最後一段的最後一句讓我印象深刻。

When you lie on the piano I am reminded I am stupid

Nina Simone has such a unique voice, it's captivating. And it's her voice that carries it, it being an album largely of covers. The one song she penned here, "Four Women", is far and away the best. It's a harrowing song, where you can feel the pain in her voice, ending in a massive crescendo. It's these mournful tracks where I think she shines. Fav tracks: Four Women, What Can I Say?, Wild Is the Wind

Nina is an all time great, but this particular record leaves a feeling of being an incomplete package. Understandable given that its tracks are from the cutting room floor.

Nina Simone has one of those voices that could move you even if she was reading out a recipe for beans on toast - I've never sat and listened to a full album of hers before, and I'm now very glad I did - well worth the listen.

too peace, too swing

Great vibe. Great vocals. Fantastic album

Nina Simone is to my ears the greatest vocalist to have ever done it and this album is a prime example of that.

Fav song: Four Women Beautiful, powerful voice with some amazing and important messages in the 60's. This is my first time listening to a Nina Simone album from start to finish and I see now why she is considered to be legendary.

Never really listened to Nina Simone a whole lot. Definitely a mistake on my part as I really liked this.

Nina Simone is a National treasure.

I was flabbergasted when I found out this album was made out of tracks recorded but left over from Nina's previous four albums. It doesn't feel like it is. It may mostly be covers but that doesnt matter; she makes the songs hers. There isn't a bad song in the bunch, with every note packed with clarity, passion and emotional heft. Four Women was a huge hit, but most of them could've been if they'd been picked instead. Lilac Wine made me cry. What else can I add? Tangent: The app needs to stop closing itself when I tab out to check things. I've lost an entire review to it several times. Fave: Lilac Wine Least Fave: Can't pick one, they're all to such good consistent standard. Strong Bad Demerit Count: 0

I already loved Nina Simone. Now I have more to love.

Great

Nina had that skill where she could sing to accurately reflect the lyrics and arrangement to fit the mood and emotions be that pain, anger, sorrow, joy or love she nails it every time. I have never heard the track Four Women before : a very powerful, shocking, sad but incredible piece of music.

Nina Simone is a great singer/songwriter, some of the songs feel too short for how good they are. Mid 4.

Amazing voice. Only really know a few of the hits before this one. Solid album.

This lady has such an interesting vocal tone, and the songs are great blues/jazz songs. Very creative for those times. I liked this a lot.

Wild Is the Wind by Nina Simone is raw, soulful, and haunting. Her voice draws you in, making each song feel deeply personal and unforgettable.

While not my style, her emotion and voice are stunning...

Good :) amazing voice

Unique voice, its 50/50 feminine and masculine, its beautiful

Smooth, sometimes haunting, vocals. Nice mellow soul.

Not really into music today so I'll try to keep my thoughts short (though Nina deserves eulogizing far more than I'm capable of right now). It's entirely possible "Four Women" will be the best song I discuss on this whole journey. I've always been arrested by its sultry atmosphere, describing the struggles of womanhood from the perspectives of four women. It was famously sampled in Jay-Z's Story of O.J. by No I.D., which helped expose a new generation (me) to the music of Nina. For that I am forever grateful, as it's an incredible piece of music from an unmatched performer in the world of soul music. The rest of the album doesn't slouch either: it may not be as high profile as Pastel Blues, but I think I prefer it. As much as I love Jeff Buckley's Grace (which is hopefully on this list as well), Nina's version of Lilac Wine is so much better. 8/10

Easy listen

enchanting

8/10

Her piano playing is incredible and the mix of genres, keeps things interesting. There were a few times when I was ready for the song to end, but all in all, great stuff. Will be in rotation and looking to purchase on vinyl.

Brava, ha spaccato

Enjoyed this one a lot! Listened to it on my way back to Webb from NJ.

- Passionate and enthralling, with incredibly relevant lyrics and almost painful expression. - Wanted to rate this even higher, but some of the tracks eventually begin to sound like a singular, non-distict mass.

Really good.

New one for me, I may have heard Nina Simone in passing but didn’t recognize any of the top Spotify tracks.. I feel like I probably missed some civil rights masking in the lyrics but it was pretty enjoyable. 3.5/5 but rounding up

Great voice nice round

Well now then, this was a bit of a surprise. Not exactly what I expected, but then what did I expect? I don't really know. Certainly what I didn't expect was to like this as much as I did. And to hear some 'original'(?) versions of track I know quite well was really interesting. I can totally understand what drove Bowie and Elkie Brooks to want to cover the title track and the stunning 'Lilac Wine'. Though I do wish Ms Simone would stop singing 'Ly-lock wine'. Now then' the important bit. Would I buy it? As part of a multi-disc deal, probably. Points wise....... I believe it just, and only just, scrapes in as a 4.

Masterful. Not as showstopping as the previous year’s “Pastel Blues” but an incredible album nonetheless

what a fantastic way to start this challenge!! I have not listened to a lot of nina simone beyond her most well known songs, and I’m not a huge early jazz/soul listener in general, but WOW her voice is so gorgeously powerful and iconic, this record was a joy the whole way through. there’s a few tracks I didn’t save and I may not revisit on their own, but they’re all beautiful as a collective and a couple did make their way into some of my playlists. some stand-out tracks for me were “i love your lovin ways”, “that’s all i ask”, and “break down and let it all out” i also love the album cover - what a fab pink 🩷

She's got it 4.1

I cried...

A nice breath of fresh air from everything else. Smooth and chilled out. Good instrumentation and vocals.

Chad. A couple boring songs at the end but pretty great overall. Awesome voice.

Great album, great voice

powerful and beautiful! not my thing to listen to unfortunately. can appreciate the artistry

Powerful voice. Great sounding recording. Her voice is deeper and more masculine than I expected. Sounds good, just surprised.

What a hauntingly beautiful album. Nina’s voice is so unique and makes me feel like I’m sitting back watching a live performance at a speak easy. The piano, the vocals, just everything is beautiful.

Solid 4 4 women Wild is the wind I love your lovin ways

Love this album

Pretty great stuff. Love Bowie and his cover of Wild is The Wind always blows me away. I had actually never heard the original. So this was great.

4.5

nina simone não decepciona nunca

Um blues e um jazz nesse nível é gostosin do mai puta merda. Da até vontade de me apaixonar de novo celoko.

Some heart wrenching lyrics. Soulful, moving and everlasting.

Just a devastating voice. Imagine walking into a dark theater on a cold night and hearing something like this in person. Imagine if you were the only listener in the room. Your soul would leave your body.

Listening to Lilac Wine by Nina feels like hearing the universe sigh! Buckley just turned up the echo.

I have heard a few of these songs sampled before, it’d a very sad album

Nina Simone's voice takes a little getting used to, but once it hits, man, it really hits. One of the coolest, most soulful, and most distinctive singing vocals of the 60s. The lyrics in these songs are also great. The three-track run of Four Women, What More Can I Say?, and Lilac Wine is especially strong in terms of both lyrics and musical hooks to back them up. So, in a rare turn of events, the weak point in the album is actually the instrumental. There's a lot of piano, and it's all played in one particular register that gets a little stale after the first twenty minutes or so. (The piano on the track Four Women, though, is fantastic – partially for being beautiful/bluesy, and partly for just being near the beginning of the album.) The percussion is present, but never quite in satisfying quantities. I think the soul and drama in these compositions should be complemented by an equally dramatic instrumental section (think muted crashes, more strings, and so on) – but it's not *quite* there. 4/5 Key tracks: Four Women, What More Can I Say?, Lilac Wine, Wild Is The Wind

I mean, this is one of those albums that just makes you think, Wow. I enjoyed the atmosphere it created. The way it made me listen to its intent. A lot to like here. Benjamin Clementine must surely be a HUGE fan. How much power there is in honesty and pure emotion. Wild is the Wind. Great stuff, quite honestly.

She was a force of nature and a remarkable artist. Brilliant pianist, great songwriter across styles, great voice, and an outspoken activist. At times she seemed and sounds a bit crazy but nothing wrong with that! Not heard this album before but glad I have now. So many great songs and a lot of variety. To mix something so strong and important as 'Four Women' with beautiful jazz numbers and soulful r&b like the opening track and closer 'Either Way I Lose' is really cool. Will come back to this again. Such an enjoyable listen.

Wow I love moments like this! ‘Four Women’ is sampled in a Jay Z song from 2016 titled ‘The Story of OJ’. I highly credit Hip Hop for getting me into Soul music like this - and I love learning about the connections between the two. ‘What More Can I Say?’ is great, I bet Muse wish they wrote this. Really see inspiration from these soul singers in some of their slower songs. ‘Lilac Wine’! I love the Jeff Buckley version. This is good too. Overall I like the atmosphere and how it is recorded. The band is awesome and Nina Simone is even better. Something however does stop this from being something I see myself regularly returning to. This made me want to listen to Bridges by Gil Scott Heron.. can’t believe it’s not on Spotify anymore :(

Who doesn't like Nina Simone? What a voice. You sort of have to be in the right mood for this, but it really hits when you are. Lilac Wine is an absolute gem of a song. Beautiful and sad and well written and everything you could want. A great relaxing album to throw on in the background. Not completely mind blowing but it's definitely an album to play every so often. 3.5/5.

Nina Simone is amazing. I’m not sure this is my favourite album but it was a great listen.

Incredibly powerful… to also then read that these are leftovers from other sessions is astonishing. A essential listen.

On one level, this is a transcendent listen. There's so much beauty and pain in that vibrato of hers. Just perfect songs of longing and love. That said, it's almost TOO much. By the end, the vibe was almost too much for me to handle. I ended up pulling up on the last song because it was jangling my nerves and heart too much. But it's gorgeous just the same.

Don’t know where but I felt like I’ve heard her name before…..prolly in a song. But the album is actually pretty good, I really enjoyed it. I think my grandma probably knows who she is and listened to her too, I should ask her. The longer I listen to her the more she reminds me of this song “Just to Keep You Satisfied” by Marvin Gaye, I wonder if they worked together.

The only thing I knew about this album is the song "Lilac Wine", which I first heard as the Buckley cover. I quickly grew to like Nina's version more. And after a few listens I got into a few other songs: Four Women, That's All I Ask, Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair, Either Way I Lose. I can see a pretty straight shot from Nina to other artists I like, e.g. Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill.

Grading a bit on a curve, since it would be easy to argue her singular voice warrents a 5 alone. But, I didn't feel this is the best collection of song, leaning too much into slow ballads to really showcase her range.

Gorgeous stuff. Maybe a little too depressing at the end but hey, who the fuck am I to comment.

Highlights: Four Women, That’s All I Ask, Black Is The Colour of My True Love’s Hair. In a nutshell: thoughtfully arranged, diverse, powerful. I can understand why Warren Ellis was enchanted by Nina Simone. Brilliant pianist, warm yet gracefully commanding vocalist. Nina sounds like she’s giving it her all with each track, each take. The backing musicians (especially the horns) are excellent. There is an absence of flow to the tracking but it’s a small complaint. Regardless, it’s good. Overall: 7/10

Best lekker

Melancholia for its own sake is not for me, but these songs have purpose. Especially powerful are “Four Women,” “Lilac Wine,” and “Either Way I Lose.” These songs may have been castoffs from her other albums, but there is a respect given to each one that’s worth a listen.

Very good voice. Good album.

could i write poetry to this? n

Every time I listen to Nina Simone, I realize that I don’t listen to enough Nina Simone

Really enjoyed this album, just quality music. Ended up listening like 3x in a row. The piano was really a standout for me I was blown away on If I Should Lose You and Lilac Wine. Nina always brings really impactful music and lyrics that cut deep to the listener. I'm a big fan. Rating - 4.2.

Great album - not something I would naturally have sought out to listen. Some tracks are more interesting than others. Soulful singing and settings which perfectly encapsulate the '60s.

Beautiful and rich. The fact that it is so sampled speaks volumes. So good to hear.

Amazing voice, emotional vibes. What an icon.

Enchanting and oddly haunting. It feels like a vinyl found in the back of a bombed-out diner, coated in a thick layer of dust but still playable.

Really haunting. This draws me in and it's hard to drag myself away. Incredibly powerful, and like other great jazz singers of her era, a wild dynamic range. Moving from quiet to loud in the space of a couple syllables brings that majestic, epic feel. Like an ocean wave, you float in the warm sea, get lifted up, and as more and more turbulence spins up, you get pulled away against your own power and pulled onto the beach, slightly afraid but in awe at the same time. Her piano playing is something special. Lilac Wine is a killer, her voice and the piano combine to create something unusual, astonishing. I've never heard anything like this before. It was interesting, the day I heard this, Donald Trump was interviewed at the National Association of Black Journalists. He was trying to talk about how Kamala Harris identified as Indian, but all of a sudden she's Black. Trying to divide us all, again. Disgusting. Then I heard the song Four Women, the song about black women's identity, possibly the struggle of this. Something I know nothing about. Sorry that Trump's shitty little ideas still exist and I'm sorry Nina Simone didn't have more impact on American culture. It's telling that this is the first time I've really heard anything by her, a 20th century middle-class white guy.

Her voice is truly astounding and the lyrics and accompaniments really just knock this thing way out of the park

Always been in awe of this one, incredibly powerful stuff... this album has sadly become a bit tainted in my brain because of the Jay-Z song that samples Four Women but then subsequently the beat of that Jay-Z song being used for that Pusha T song where he exposes Drake for having a child...

I know her. Excited to listen to some Nina. Solid jazz music. She is legendary.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Kept me company

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

An eloquently soothing voice. I appreciate her.

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

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…

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

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

Wonderful

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.

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.

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

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

7.45

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.

4/5

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

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

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

Ooooohh!!! Sing it!

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

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.

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.

What a voice. Just wow.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Sensational

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

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

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

Maybe 5, gotta give it another listen. Goes hard

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."

What a voice! Would definitely listen to again.

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. One of the greatest singers of all time.

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.

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

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!

Beautiful. Powerful.

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

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.

One of the best vocalists ever

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.

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

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

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

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"

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

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.

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.

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!

Amazing voice

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

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.

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

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.

Good

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. 

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.

Wow. That’s all I can say.

spectacular!

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.

Solid album overall

Bet the instrumentals on the 2nd song still haunt OJ Simpson to this day. Sensational record, even if it is just a bunch of unused material mixed together.

The best singing voice of all time? Fantastic album - the title track sends shivers down my spine. 4/5

So good

If I was heartbroken it'd be a 5

I haven't listened to all that much of Nina Simone's music beyond the few staples, and all of the sampled music that relies heavily on her voice and style, so it's really nice to get a full album of hers that shows more range than I've previously heard. It *is* weird that this album appears to have been cobbled together from session recordings for other albums, but since the album seems to have gotten a lot of traction both at the time and later on as one her finest, I'm glad to have this as the selection for her music. Her voice is so distinctive that it's often hard for me to hear several songs by her without them all blending together, but "Four Women" stood out for me (partly because of it's semi-censored status), as did "Break Down and Let it all Out". I was also happy to discover that the really spare style of songs like "Lilac Wine" and this album's version of the iconic "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" isn't her only style (although it's clearly a preferred one).

lol 2nd song jay z story of oj sample - great feeling this albums pretty fucking good and im only 4 songs in - lilac wine wow lilac wine is where ill call it quits Finished the whole thing 3.5 stars pretty good at notes but dragged The piano work was cool

A lot of people don't like leftovers, but Nina Simone leftovers are incredible.

Really hard hitting. Sonically some if it is abrasive. Overall so good

Enjoying this album, very different to the usual Nina Simone stuff I think i've heard. Production sounds very nice, very wide mix that packs a lot in. Nina's voice sounds well lush.

Nina Simone is good and this was good Nina Simone

The minimalist backing tracks really let the amazing voice shine. An album you feel in your soul. I didn't know Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine was a cover, but hearing this album it's easy to see the inspiration he took from here.

was good, not my favorite break down and let it all out was the best

Beautiful

:):)

I really like Nina Simone - to be honest, this album is not the best. But if you like her voice, you will like this album, too. 4 stars, because there are better ones from Nina

Powerful and evocative.

Butiful, soulful Jazz with lots of sampling PTSD.

Enjoyed the songs on this album.

The album is beautiful and deeply sad at the same time. 100% soul.

Amazing vocals

Almost cried a little. I’m really captured by her FEELING that she pushes into the music. I’m going to have to listen to this again and sort of let it settle into me.

Tbh it was a good album. Wonderful voice and loved the composition. Can’t believe a lot of it was live

Fantastic. I am a Nina Simone fan for sure. I had only ever heard Jeff Buckley's version of Lilac Wine, so it was sweet to hear this version. Very high four.

It was a good album a couple of great songs but it didn’t blow me away

LOVE the free flow between genres. a lot of the songs feel like soliloquies with very minimal musical backing and i love it.

Very classic music, soulful thought-provoking lyrics and exquisite delivery. Had heard of her but never listened to her music Would definitely buy her music on vinyl to enjoy in my living room

Utterly excellent, an album I have not hear before

oh man I really love Nina. There's something so beautiful and unique about her voice! Four Women was pretty and so is What More Can I Say?. Oooh Lilac Wine it good too.

What a unique voice. I think I’ll need to listen a few times in order to get the full impact of the lyrics.

Incredible voice

Exceptional voice, so unique. The songs are so different then everything else you hear.

Echt prachtige muziek! Ik mis soms wel een klein beetje kracht maar wel echt goed. Ander album van haar, I put a spell on you vind Ik wat beter dus deze krijgt 4 sterren Would buy

If I looked up 'sultry' and asked for a auditory example, this is what I would expect to hear.

Her vocals in combination with her piano work are truly a beautiful combination. In addition to her strong lyrics, I was pleasantly blown away by this album. Before this, I had never heard of her and I think that is truly unfortunate given how wonderful this album is.

The gear change from the first track to the second threw me into reverse and wrecked my transmission. But that's not a bad thing. The first track is just plain awful. Unimaginative blues with poorly sung cliche lyrics that can't even keep a set meter. The second drops us into a soulful telling of the lives of four women. Powerful, affecting, real. From there it's amazing. Lilac Wine had me bursting into tears!

Nice choice—I have wanted to listen to her music and never made the time. Jazz singers make it sound so easy and natural. Sinatra had a three part documentary that did an excellent job of describing how long and hard he worked at his vocal stylings. Phrasing is key along with so much emotional control. Nina deserves to be on the list. Thanks.

What a distinctive singer! No surprise that she has been so popular over the years.

Great voice but some of the songs just didn't grab my attention. 3.5/5 for me.

Some very fun tunes, fantastic piano work and songwriting. I’ts very hard to rank in the 21st century. I would give it 5 stars for this era of music.

Schön. Politisch. Simone.

Fantastic album outside my comfort area of more modern music. Nina Simone has such a deeper voice than I expected. Heartfelt soulful lyrics you don't hear in modern music. The more upbeat songs are fun but still maintain the same emotion of the more somber stuff. Doubt this will be on my normal rotation, but really enjoyed the experience.

Standouts: "Lilac Wine" (Only ever heard Jeff Buckley's cover), "That's All I Ask," "Break Down and Let it All Out," "Four Women" A truly beautiful record. The fact that this was leftover tracks that were released as an album blows my mind because the composition seems so clean and intentional. Nina Simone's vocals resonated with the lyrics and helped to convey the raw emotion in each song. Great album to put on and relax at the end of a long day. Overall: 4/5

Wow, I did not know Nina Simone well, but she is such a dynamic performer. “Four Women” captivated me and I immediately listened back to it. The way she changes her inflection and timbre throughout the song is so interesting. She knows how to shift her voice from beautiful to ugly in such an effective way. The way she sings about blackness (only 100 years after the Civil War and two years before MLK’s murder) is inspiring. My only gripes with the album are that the choices to fade some songs in what felt like the middle seemed clumsy and the album doesn’t feel particularly cohesive. But the album was made up of “leftover” tracks, so I forgive both points. I am truly impressed by Nina Simone’s performance and writing.

Klassiker! Gut und stimmgewaltig! Aufnahme aus der aktiven Zeit, keine "gesetzte Compilation".

Great inspiration, huge potential for favorites.

What a classic. Liked this one a lot.

What an amazing voice. Plenty of emotion and pain in these songs, but she makes them beautiful.

Pretty good

never gonna be mad to listen to nina simone. not sure how this one got caught in the backlog

She is the GOAT Fav songs: four women, lilac wine, break down and let it all out

Quand j'écoute les albums au taff j'ai souvent qu'un écouteur, et y'a des fois où je regrette de pas avoir le full effet qualité. Cet album en fait partie, jpense que je reecouterai des versions live, avec une vraie qualité d'écoute + faire attention aux paroles (psk à part celles de four women j'ai pas trop écouté)

A really smoky, velvety voice over some simple jazz melodies. It isn't reinventing the wheel, but it's classy and sexy and I'm here for it.

Really nice sound! This was someone I knew more by name but not by any actual songs so is nice to have had this come up

Incredible voice, I loved four women

Beautiful voice. There were a few songs where I didn't like the style, but overall a very good album.

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God what a voice. What a vibe. Great album.

I have to be in the mood for this kind of music - but when I am, I absolutely love Nina Simone and there is nothing that beats her sound. She's a fascinating person and had an amazing impact on music. Great album Fave track: Wild is the wind

Unique voice, very emotional deliberate jazzy songs. Lilac wine here :)