Wild Is The Wind

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.

my review didnt save

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 :)

This album makes me want to buy a record player, buy this record, and play it. Listening feels like watching the clear night sky in a warm summer night.

Maschine: Nectar Bee Mische: natürlich wie Live-Aufnahme in der Bar, Stimme fantastisch zentral, Bass zupft locker vor sich hin, teils erhebliches Rauschen Mukke: "I Love Your Lovin' Ways" unerwartet Upbeat für Nina Simone, "Four Women" und "Wild is the Wind" könnten gerne nie enden.. <3, Songauswahl nicht 100% kohärent Meinung: 4/5

a lovely, jazzy album that feels like a calm spring evening at home

An astounding range of wit, soul, and polemicizing wrapped in Simone’s phenomenal voice. Too few songs truly pierce my ears but almost every one takes hold of my attention.

easy morning soundtrack; very jazzy & great for cooking

Beautiful

Soul and jazz are not some of my favorite genres but Nina Simone had some great tracks here. Overall the album was pretty good and had some impactful lyrics. Favorite Song(s): "I Love Your Lovin' Ways", "Four Women", "Break Down and Let It All Out"

Wonderful l!

Beautiful album, exceptional vocalist.

The first song was my least favorite but the rest were amazing. I love her voice and the feeling she's able to carry through music.

Beautiful voice. need to listen again (and again.. and again).

I felt very close to Nina's expressions of love, her writing, her expressions, while listening to this record. It felt tangible, something I could reach out and feel as she sang. I think a lot of that has to do with her voice. It feels accessible, amateurish to the untrained or unlistened ear. It almost sounds regular at times, normal. I'm positive that's one aspect as to why so many can connect to Nina as an artist. It sounds like the voice of you and I. The piano playing on display is unbelievable as well. The way it swells and crescendos in some of these tracks left me speechless.

Mögnuð.

Passions, Pain and Power. All these things make Nina Simone great.

This was my formal introduction to Nina Simone and I think this was an album! Her voice is hauntingly beautiful, especially with the vibrato. I'm not big into soul music and generally enjoy a faster tempo so the album did feel slow at times but I know that's just the genre.

I do not know what to think about this album. At first I thought it was going to be a Soul record when I heard the song I Love Your Lovin' Ways. Then it slowly takes you in a totally different direction. Wild is the Wind truly showed the depth and range of voice that Nina Simone had. It went from a soul record to a jazz record within a few songs . I am glad that I took the time to listen to this album. I was always under the impression that Wild Is the Wind was a song that was not only performed by Bowie but was written by him too.

Classic. Four Women is intense

Got a bit heavy in the back half, but this is a gorgeous album. Works great on a rainy day.

Classic. Not my bag

Nina is great as always, but I prefer her later funkier albums. Some songs have her singing in a weird almost unrecognizable voice which I'm not a huge fan of. Wild is the Wind and Four Women are the stand outs.

Nicht das, was ich von Nina Simone erwartet hätte. Kenne ihre Musik aber kaum. Das ist so klassischer Rocknroll, würde ich sagen?! Wikipedia sagt (u.a.) RnB und ich schwöre, dass ich das auch sagen wollte. Zweites Lied dann eher so, wie ich erwartet hätte, soulig, erinner an Amy Winehouse, langsam. Irgendwann dann sehr jazzig, sehr zurückhaltend mit einer tollen Stimme im Vordergrund. Sehr schönes Album.

Bleedin excellent. Only giving a 3 rather than 4 cos it's more a 3.5 and after giving that dark side of the moon yoke 5 and rounding down I'll do the same. Increddibllee soul. Brilliant. 4 women, lilac wine, last 3 tracks straight. Excellency. Yk what this is a 4 too. Only brought down by blues-adjacent tracks but that's a preference thing. So much passion

Very good album. Full of heartbreak, longing, unrequited love. I’ll go to this album if I get broken up with again. Her voice is so soulful and so full of emotion, giving the song such energy despite, or perhaps because of, the very simple instrumentals

Lilac Wine is devastating

What a great album. That voice is dreamy. Si powerful. I had chills more than one time listening to this album. Nina Simone is one of the best jazz singer of all times. 4 stars

Enjoyed it.

Interesting album. Would definitely define as early jazz/R&B.

Some really compelling and powerful vocals, and it's clear that she's setting a precedent that will be emulated for decades to come. However, her voice does bug me a little in some of the songs.

Haunting and beak

Simone is impeccable. This is not my go-to album, though.

A stunning album. Really great. Sad and loving at parts, but all simple and haunting. Would be a 5 if not for the replay factor.

Every Nina Simone album is great.

Nina Simone will put a spell on your ass

This was a really nice album to listen to in the morning. Slow but with movement and didn't interrupt work.

Breakdown & Let It All Out - This song is so good

Awesome vibe, enjoyed it thoroughly!

some of the lyrics and tropes from this album were jaw-dropping, Lee, intense, but so descriptive, setting an incredible imagery. I really enjoyed the overall sound.

Really love her vocal style and heart. It comes through really well in this album.

Solid album, lovely voice and well written. Most of them aren't very upbeat, but still good.

Classics on this album. Plus this era is everything with the backup girl singers!

Pretty good

Classic by a Black legend. Blue period, melancholic and poetic.

Love the subtle guitar flourishes on That’s All I Ask Beautiful guitar on Why Keep On Breaking My Heart

A mighty singer, a mighty woman. At turns raw and beautiful, I was spellbound

Legend.

I feel like this album would make me fall in love with whomever I simply look at while it's playing. Favorite track: What More Can I Say?

Always amazing, though I think later work rose to greater heights.

Sort of 60s poppy, but some jazzy numbers too. 3.9

4.1

проницательно прям

Amazing deep lyrics, a bit too blues-y for my taste.

Chillig. Gute Stimme jazzig.

Nina Simone is always great. Not my favorite record of here but I feel her best recordings are love recordings

She can do it

bello

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Real nice way to start the week this album tbf“ - Woolham, N (Sept, 2023)

Nina Simone is fantastic! Great listen!

Raw und emotional. Sehr dramatisch auf ne gute Weise.

Extrem dramatisch, große Songaufbau Galore. Klavier sehr sophisticated, starke klassische Einflüsse

Beautiful

Heel mooi, in sommige nummers is de vibrato in dr stem iets te om relaxed te luisteren. Meeste nummers heel mooi voor bij romantisch dinertje

Un 4 porque es la Simone, pero demasiadas canciones lentas.

She’s very direct. Just about every emotion is expressed on this album from adoration to indignation. Not a fan of the blues but she even makes those tracks sound good.

Nina Simone GOAT, jättebra låtar, jättebra album Bästa låtar: What more can I say? Lilac Wine, Wild is the wind

Four Women // What More Can I Say? // That’s All I Ask // Break Down and Let It All Out // Wild Is The Wind // Either Way I Lose 4-4.5/5

Achei fantástica.

Very talented and powerful but I just don’t love her tone of voice, which holds this back to 4 stars.

Shmooth

4/5. A beautiful, heart wrenching album. Some songs are happy which are needed to not be sad throughout the whole thing. The only downside is the song by the same name as the album, very forgettable. And some songs are just good but not awesome. Overall though, an honest and direct album from a black woman who is tired of putting on an act and decides to be herself instead.

Enjoyed

Lovely stuff

The fact that this has Four Women and Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair makes this a must listen.

Nina Simone is a singular talent, that is clear. No one has sounded like her before or since. Other than the opening track, this is filled with such melancholy sadness. Four Women is a heavy song. Lilac Wine and Wild as the Wind are both excellent, although I would say I prefer the Jeff Buckley and David Bowie versions, respectively. Does that make me sexist? Album closes out with the great Either Way I Lose. Could use a few more listens, but this feels like a 4.

I thought i wrote a review. But it turns out it was notes.

Her voice is near perfect which makes it hard not to give a 5 but there are a lot of songs on this album that are mediocre except for her. Four Woman, the only song she wrote, is quite good. So much so that I'm surprised she didn't write more songs but she did write new arrangements for many songs so displayed her creative talents that way. She is so good at singing that her excellent piano playing doesn't get as much praise as it would if she didn't sing so darn well. Funny story: I listened to Bowie's up tempo version of the title song so much more, when I hear her cover I expect the words to come before they do.

The one song that Nina composed on the LP, “Four Women”, is great. I like her versions of “Lilac Wine” & “Wild is the Wind”, though comparing these standards to the other versions out there highlights the fact that Nina’s voice is not her greatest asset. Yet on this album she keeps it in check, hitting a lot of highs and lows, as in “Either Way I Lose” without “yelling” as my co-judge refers to it. Nina was a talented pianist and the sparse accompaniments on this LP bring that to the fore. She was an artist who, through her songs and activism contributed to the civil rights movement, and since her death, her music have been kept alive by a growing number of remixes and samples.

Great album, love the vocals, not something I'd normally listen to.

1/2 known by heart

Thats some good food right there

I was given "Wild is the Wind" to listen to back at the end of June, played it a couple of times and found it pleasant but wasn't particularly overwhelmed. So I set it aside to review later, left it alone for several months and didn't come back to it until this week (in mid-October). What on earth was I thinking? How was I not blown away by the depth of feeling here? "Wild is the Wind" is a stunning album which, at its best, presents Nina Simone as a peerless talent, unlike almost anyone else in her field. There's an unassuming start, as "I Love Your Loving Ways" is straight-lace enough. It's a rootsy, smoky 12-bar-blues, showcasing a lighter side of Simone… but the rug-pull moments are just around the corner. Few songs I've heard are as affecting as "Four Women", Simone's only self-penned song on this record and one which addresses the ghost of slavery haunting four different African American women. At the end, as Simone screeched out "My name is Peaches" and the band rattled to a crescendo underneath her, I had growing goosebumps for the whole of the last thirty seconds. From there, the album rarely lets up. "Lilac Wine", which I first heard in Jeff Buckley's melismatic diva stylings, is smooth and measured here, but no less beautiful. Next, "That's All I Ask" is absolutely sublime, no notes. "Break Down and Let It All Out" is searing, scorched rage, cathartic in Simone's vocal delivery. And, of course, the title track is stirring, haunting, ethereal. I've long been familiar with David Bowie's coked up version, but this is something else. Even in what we might call the "lesser tracks", there are no egregious offences, just less compelling songs. "Why Keep On Breaking My Heart" is easy to write off as a bit of a misstep- it's a diversion into shuffling, traditional pop- but it's so elegantly performed (and boasts a lovely string section) that it's hard to feel too cheated. Later, "Black is the Colour of my True Love's Hair" and "If I Should Lose You" are back-to-back introspective jazz ballads, and both feel slightly less captivating than the material leading up to them. Finally, "Either Way I Lose" is a lovely ending track, distinguished by a nice touch of vocal bass. I'm so sorry, Ms. Simone. I will never leave your albums unreviewed and unappreciated for so long again.

amazing voice, very powerful

She is amazing. Very enjoyable album. She has some better records tough.

Beautiful voice for a classy album: one of the best of the genre of that period for sure.

Uit de categorie 'artiesten die je nou eenmaal goed moet vinden want iedereen vindt het goed'. Bij vlagen heeft Nina Simone wel iconische nummers gemaakt, maar vooral wanneer de gekte echt op z'n plaats was (Sinnerman, nog gebruikt in een verbluffende kunstroofscène in The Thomas Crown affair). Verder kan ik niet altijd wat met dat unieke maar mallotige stemgeluid. Desondanks vind ik deze plaat nog best sfeervol. Mooie arrangementen, ingetogen uitvoering. Dus vooruit.

Het is misschien het tijdstip, thuis op een zomerochtend, rustig wakker worden met een bakkie koffie. Het eerste nummer stemt me gelijk vrolijk, fijne blues. En vervolgens pakt nina (al is ze ietwat aanstellerig) je beet en laat ze niet meer los. Het is ruw, gevoelig, ongepolijst, en toch elegant. Waar frank sinatra me totaal onberoerd liet met zijn neppe mr perfect geluid, grijpt me dit wel. Heerlijk. Het zal niet voor elk moment zijn, dus geen 5 sterren dit keer, maar een hele dikke 4.

Incredibly haunting and beautiful voice. Not an album I would have ever thought to listen to myself, but its so heavy, downbeat and wonderfully orchestrated. The title tract is incredible, powerful, worth every single of its longer length.

good old tunes

En voiture Simone

j'adore le printemps

Nice, but too placid sometimes

listened

4.5

Four Woman is written so excellently.

Compelling and affecting – it's alternately classy and raw. The accompaniments and arrangements are great, too. She's a voice like no other and one understands those that might find it an acquired taste, especially given her occasional flirtation with overwhelming the songs.

I love how haunting some of the songs are.

Great voice, good album!

Beautiful and way less dated sounding than I was expecting.

What a voice.

This is great. And not just because it contains Lilac Wine and Wild Is The Wind! A rich and diverse record that improves on every listen.

Loved it, new gender for me!!

Wild is the Wind es una canción excepcional

Sonic Alchemy. Also, Bowie's greatest cover.

Heat

Nina don’t miss

Klassikko

This is such a good collection of songs. Classic 60s rnb/blues collections, but Ninas voice just pushes this into the heights. There are a few jams on here which are your traditional love / wedding fair, but there are some epic jams. Four women is the standout, it's amazing in its message and themeing. The last vocal is out of this world.

4.5

Nina was never afraid to go to the dark corners and see what was unleashed. My favourite of hers is Nina Sings the Blues and the brilliant co write with Langston Hughes Backlash Blues, powerful stuff. Four Women takes a different path but is equally powerful. As a musician you get a sense of her struggle to work across genres and keep it simple, when she could of course go anywhere her astonishing talent called for. I love the provenance of Lilac Wine, Elke Brooks must have got it from Nina, who of course got it from Eartha...but where did Jeff pick it up from? Anyway, the way she plays those chords, so simple yet so perfect, letting that voice fly with just the right sense of restraint, where so many would have let rip. A beautiful record.

I remember when I first heard Nina Simone. It was her version of Ain’t Got No/ I Got Life from the Broadway musical of the moment, Hair. It was 1968 & it was the first of a long list of songs from Hair that were hits. And the reason I remember well hearing it for the first time on radio is that when the dee-jay back-announced it as being by a woman, my jaw dropped, because to me it had sounded like a man’s voice. I also remember when I first heard the song Wild Is The Wind - it was in the early 80’s when I first saw the black & white clip of Bowie miming his 1976 recording of the song. I then heard the Johnny Mathis version & eventually Nina Simone’s cover. I love all three versions but Simone’s is particularly emotional, & longer than the other 2 versions combined. The other well-known cover on the album is the beautiful Lilac Wine, written for a Broadway musical in 1949, first recorded by the great Eartha Kitt in 1952 but now best remembered as a track on Jeff Buckley’s album, Grace. Simone’s version is a as good as any. There are 2 songs on the album written by black ongwriter Horace Ott, who had written the classic Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood for Simone in 1964, and 2 songs written by Van McCoy, who had alreadyvwritten Baby I’m Yours for Barbara Lewis & Getting Mighty Crowded for Betty Everett & would go on to have a huge disco hit with The Hustle in the mid-70’s. When you add the 2 songs written by Bennie Benjamin, including the opener, the wonderful I Love Your Lovin’ Ways, and Simone’s own extraordinary composition, Four Women, it means that 7 of the 11 songs here were written by black American composers - no coincidence, because Simone was an important figure in the civil rights movement & she no doubt fostered black talent when she had the opportunity. This is not the greatest collection of songs she ever gathered on one disc, but the highlights shine.

Loved it

11th April 2023 Listened during the day in the living room working with Jen. Chilled evening watching city Bayern. Simply divine. 4.5 if I could.

L'émotion est si puissante dans la voix que j'en ai des frissons. Textes vraiment poignants. Belle liberté dans les accompagnements musicaux, qui ne se laissent pas dominer entièrement par la voix.

Beautiful, powerful music. A bit slow for me personally.

Je me réjouissais d'avance d'écrire ma critique expliquant point par point en quoi Nina Simone était surcotée, elle qui détient jusqu'à ce jour la version la plus charabiesque de Ne Me Quitte Pas. Malheureusement, les premières pistes de l'album ont installé une énorme climatisation chez moi, si bien que je me dois d'admettre que Simone est une sacrée cliente.

Quelle belle manière de débuter la semaine, merci Nina

Nina Simone is a treasure. She captures the deep pain and longing of a broken relationship in this album, like no one else can. I felt that while listening. I'm not crying. You're crying.

Beautiful album, lots of pain in her voice.

It was decent. Not really my thing but it was good

She blew me away in the Summer of Soul doc, and while losing the visuals does take away some of her charisma there's still a ton of power in that voice.

Nina Simone is regarded as one of the finest vocalists of our time and this album highlights her strong and powerful voice. I hadn't listened to much Simone, it captivated me, but lost a bit of my attention towards the end. Overall, well worth the listen, but it requires you to be in the proper mood and mindset to enjoy it to the maximum.

loved. if i should lose you was my favorite

Beautiful powerful voice

Abyssal, fantastic. Four Women and the title track jump out immediately. All the songs have this spotlight effect on you and her, transfixing you like you're being subjected to the most dramatic monologues. The band is sensitive, knows its place, set dressing. All songs at least good due to incredible delivery, and at least four bangers.

Nina Simone is one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Her voice is so rich and beautiful and can convey such a wide range of emotion. I had heard some of these songs already, but hadn't listened to this album in its entirety. Although I didn't love every single song, I loved her voice on every song, and that was enough to make this a great listen. Besides her voice, the instrumentals, particularly the piano (if I'm not mistaken, Nina herself is the pianist), are gorgeous throughout. Her voice and the piano blend so well together, and there were many moments that gave me goosebumps. I will certainly be listening to this album again. Standout Tracks: "Four Women," "Lilac Wine," "Either Way I Lose," "Break Down And Let It All Out"

One of the most important voices of modern music, period. Musically, the album is... a bit of all over the place? Either way, the strongest parts of it are a joy to listen to.

Best Song: Lilac Wine. Quiet, poetic, and powerful. Worst Song: Wild is the Wind. Despite being the title track, it felt too mournful, and the vocal warble (vibrato?) was too much for me. Overall: Haunting, thoughtful music. Feels so personal and subdued, making it difficult to listen in all contexts, but good for quiet afternoons and reading by a rainy window.

Very good album! However felt like it was missing something… can’t put my finger on what though.

While I can't personally relate to a lot of what Nina songs about, she has an unbelievable ability to make me feel what SHE is going through. The empathy she's able to elicit is matched by no other artist I've listened to in my lifetime. I can physically hear her pain and sorrow as she sings with her beautiful voice.

It's alright.

I just love Nina Simone! Normally this time and genre of music would not illicit much response from me, but she just raises things.

What a voice. What a performer. The way her voice trembles and shakes. There’s so much pain and longing in her singing. This is a great collection of songs and performances from her. The song “Four Women” is a standout. Very powerful. I love that jazzy piano. I know this song from being sampled in the recent Jay-Z song “The Story of O.J.” — it was great to hear the original and sit with the lyrics. "Either Way I Lose" was cool too. Love the deep backing vocals.

Nina set me right in the world.

Nina Simone - Wild is the Wind (1966) I have no idea how to review a Jazz album. I have listened to Nina Simone here and there, but I never really “listened”, until now. And…. now I am sad. The only Nina album I own is “Sings the Blues”. When she sings the blues, I am tapping my foot along with the beat, and I kind of let the music sink into the background. On ‘Wild’, her voice is haunting. So, so, haunting. I don’t really “get” jazz. My brain doesn’t know what to do with it. Sometime I can say “I like this”, but that is about as far as I can go. I don’t know why I like it or dislike it. It bounces around in my head and makes me feel things. This album makes me feel sad. 
My favorite track is: Wild Is The Wind (Live). I am not a huge fan of long songs, but this one is done so seamlessly, I love it. 4 stars.

So good. I need to listen to more Nina Simone.

Great stuff

Pretty great. Especially four women

A troubled but beautiful soul. Who also happened to be a virtuoso pianist.

Late night jazz

What a heavy album.... She conveys a life experience that is raw and rough. Incredible.

Some good songs

Remarkable, but misaligned with my general tastes. 4/5

What a powerful, otherworldly voice.

I wanted to go 5, but a couple tracks in the back half were just not for me.

First four songs are amazing. Title track is the weak point of the album

Well this was glorious. Half of the songs should be exposed in museums, that’s how good they’re. My good Nina is just amazing.

Buen álbum!

Liked

One of the best voices of the 20th century, carrying even weaker songs with it. Some less interesting tracks coupled with powerful songs. Tracks I liked: Four Women Lilac Wine