1. Love Is Blindness 4:54 
2. Time After Time 4:07 
3. Fragile 4:36 
4. Closer To You 5:48 
5. Last Train To Clarksville 5:17 
6. The Weight 6:05 
7. Tupelo Honey 5:37 
8. Harvest Moon 5:02 
9. I Can't Stand The Rain 5:28 
10. Lay Lady Lay 5:08 
11. Wichita Lineman 5:49

Cassandra Wilson - vocals
Cyro Baptista - Percussion
Kevin Breit - Banjo, Bouzouki, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Resonator), Mandolin
T-Bone Burnett - Guitar, Vocals
Charlie Burnham - Violin
Lance Carter - Drums
Keith Ciancia - Keyboards, Piano
Jeff Haynes - Percussion
Xavyon Jamison - Drums
Kevin Johnson - Percussion
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones - Bass (Upright)
Jim Keltner - Drums
Mark Peterson - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Lonnie Plaxico - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Brandon Ross - Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Steel)
Marvin Sewell - Guitar (Acoustic)
Cecilia Smith - Marimba
Fabrizio Sotti - Guitar
Reginald Veal - Bass (Upright)
Doug Wamble - Guitar (Acoustic)
Chris Whitley - Guitar
Perry Wilson - Drums

When most jazz singers do standards, they come from the "classic" American songbook, the one that includes show tunes and pop songs from a bygone era, one that was powered by names such as Gershwin, Lerner & Loewe, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sammy Kahn, Johnny Mercer, and so many others. That said, Cassandra Wilson is not just any jazz vocalist, and her Blue Note catalog -- the label she's been with since 1993 -- proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. Wilson has explored her deep love of jazz and blues to be sure, covering everyone from Robert Johnson to Miles Davis, but along the way she's also covered tunes by modern composers, those who have stormed the pop charts in the last 30 years or so, and those who are still on them. Closer to You: The Pop Side is a retrospective collection that looks at this side of Wilson's complex musical persona, and offers a selection of 11 tunes from her Blue Note albums, all of them focusing on songs from the rock, pop, and soul genres, and all executed in her own idiosyncratic manner. The stellar version of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" is sung from a female perspective and drenched in acoustic guitars and upright bass, with a lone snare. Then there is her languid, deeply committed reading of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and her drenched-in-strangeness reading of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon," which is as much ambience as it is instrumentation, with only her voice to hold it in place and keep it from disappearing into the ether. Along the way are signature readings of U2's "Love Is Blindness" and Sting's "Fragile," as well as one of the finest versions of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" ever committed to tape, though its scope is very different from the author's or the now canonical Glen Campbell version. Her reading of Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" reflects the singer's deep commitment to the soul vernacular, and while a bit less edgy than the original, it contains plenty of hidden passageways of emotion nonetheless. In sum, this can be enjoyed as a record of both where Cassandra Wilson has been when it comes to reinterpreting the tunes of the current era, and where she has pushed the envelope in terms of the role of the jazz vocalist. ---Thom Jurek, Rovi

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1 	Don't Explain 	4:35
2 	Billie's Blues 	5:08
3 	Crazy He Calls Me 	6:19
4 	You Go To My Head 	4:10
5 	All Of Me 	4:07
6 	The Way You Look Tonight 	3:51
7 	Good Morning Heartache 	4:57
8 	What A Little Moonlight Can Do 	4:10
9 	These Foolish Things 	4:14
10 	Strange Fruit 	4:55
11 	I'll Be Seeing You 	6:10
12 	Last Song (For Lester) 	5:51

Vocals - Cassandra Wilson
Baritone Guitar – T Bone Burnett (tracks: 2, 4, 7)
Bass – Martyn Casey
Drums, Percussion – Thomas Wydler
Effects [Guitar String], Loops – Ming Vauze (tracks: 1, 10, 12)
Guitar [Additional], Loops – Nick Zinner (tracks: 4, 8 to 10, 12)
Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Loops, Chimes [Guitar], Loops – Kevin Breit
Piano, Organ – Jon Cowherd
Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Melodica, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Robby Marshall
Strings – Daphne Chen (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 10), Lauren Chipman (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 10),
 Richard Dodd (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 10), The Section Quartet (tracks: 3 to 5, 8, 10), VDP Orchestra (tracks: 4, 6)
Strings, Violin [With Echos] – Eric Gorfain (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 10, 11) 

Singer Jose James’ recent tribute to Billie Holiday saw a fine singer and a hip jazz trio sprinkling personal magic on timeless songs with careful respect. Cassandra Wilson’s angle on Holiday is very different: a radical, big-production remake of the great vocalist’s music with the rhythm section from Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds giving the repertoire a thick-textured, abstract blues-rock feel, while a luxurious strings section embraces the ballads. Don’t Explain spices Wilson’s favourite slow-blues feel with old-school echo-chamber guitar and smoky tenor sax; You Go to My Head and The Way You Look Tonight are orchestrally stretched pop ballads on which Wilson merges surrender and confidence; and only the murderous message of Strange Fruit feels distracted by the countermelodies that crowd in on the singer’s brooding tones. Lady Day traditionalists may flinch, but Coming Forth By Day is a big gamble that, for the most part, pays off, and could be Wilson’s best album since Travelling Miles. ---John Fordham, theguardian.com

Perhaps the pairing of Cassandra Wilson and Billie Holiday carries a whiff of inevitability, but there's nothing predictable about Coming Forth by Day. Released to coincide with Holiday's centennial in 2015, Coming Forth by Day explicitly celebrates Lady Day by drawing upon standards she sang in addition to songs she wrote, but Wilson deliberately sidesteps the conventional by hiring Nick Launay as a producer. As a result of his work with Nick Cave, Launay mastered a certain brand of spooky Americana, something that comes in handy with the Holiday catalog, but Coming Forth by Day is never too thick with murk. It luxuriates in its atmosphere, sometimes sliding into a groove suggesting smooth '70s soul, often handsomely evoking a cinematic torch song -- moods that complement each other and suggest Holiday's work without replicating it. This is a neat trick: such flexibility suggests how adaptable Holiday's songbook is while underscoring the imagination behind Wilson's interpretations. Certainly, Launay deserves credit for his painterly production, but the success of Coming Forth by Day belongs entirely to Wilson, who proves that she's an heir to Holiday's throne by never once imitating her idol. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

Jaki jest idealny „tribute album”? Teoretycznie taki, w którym osobowość wykonawcy i idola zaznaczy się w podobnych proporcjach, w którym artysta zachowa odrębność, eksponując najważniejsze cechy twórcy, jakiemu oddaje hołd. Krótko mówiąc taki, który nie pozostawia wątpliwości, dlaczego „uczeń” sięgnął po dorobek „mistrza”.

Cassandra Wilson jest mistrzynią współczesnego jazzu i bluesa, ale przyznaje się do trwającej całe życie fascynacji kunsztem Billie Holiday. Na albumie wydanym z okazji setnych urodzin Lady Day, przypomina jedenaście utworów z repertuaru Billie. Płytę zamyka piosenka autorska, napisana przez nią specjalnie na ten projekt: Last Song (for Lester), dedykowana wielkiej miłości wokalistki, jaką był słynny saksofonista i innowator jazzu, Lester Young (Billie Holiday była zdruzgotana jego śmiercią).

Producentem albumu jest – tu niespodzianka – Nick Launay, związany na stałe z Nickiem Cave’em. Współtworzył wiele interesujących projektów, m.in. Talking Heads czy Arcade Fire, ale o jazz się nie otarł. I to słychać. Album „Coming Forth by Day” jazzową płytą nie jest. Zdecydowało o tym już zaangażowanie sekcji rytmicznej The Bad Seeds: Martyn P. Casey (bas) i Thomas Wydler (perkusja). Daremnie szukać na tej płycie nowoorleańskiej pulsacji, tak hipnotyzującej na wcześniejszych albumach wokalistki. Ale i ta płyta ma specyficzne, niemal podskórne oddziaływanie – przez zastosowanie dyskretnych, „atmosferycznych” loopów, przez użycie smyczków.

Jest na albumie wiele wysublimowanych aranżacyjnych detali, jak choćby zastosowanie klarnetu basowego i kwartetu smyczkowego w Crazy He Calls Me. Najważniejszy jest jednak głos – tak samo u Billie, jak u Cassandry. Lady Day nie miała wielkiej skali, nie wykonywała technicznych fajerwerków, nie śpiewała scatem. Jej siła tkwiła we frazowaniu i w nieprawdopodobnym ładunku emocjonalnym, jaki przekazywała śpiewając. Cassandra ma dużo „większy” głos, ale jego emocjonalna gama jest bardziej stonowana. I na tej płycie słychać to w całej jaskrawości.

Znajdziemy tu interpretacje, w których stylistyka obu artystek wydaje się niemal tożsama, tak jest na przykład w Billie’s Blues. Bywa też wręcz przeciwnie – nikt nie pomyliłby coveru z oryginałem w All of Me. Między innymi dlatego, że altowy głos Cassandry przeplata się w miksie z najniższymi partiami instrumentalnymi (gitara basowa) – jest to zarazem największe zastrzeżenie do brzmienia całego albumu. Bywa, że kontrasty głos-sekcja służą nagraniom. Równe bicie w utworze What a Little Moonlight Can Do prowokuje solistkę do najbardziej jazzowej interpretacji. Ale już standard These Foolish Things traci na „koktajlowym” podejściu do aranżacji.

Najwięcej oczekiwań musiał wzbudzić – utożsamiany z osobą Billie Holiday – utwór Strange Fruit. Piosenka zawierająca poetycki, ale przez to nie mniej wstrząsający, obraz lynchu (tytułowym „dziwnym owocem” jest zwisający z gałęzi topoli Murzyn), poruszała do głębi w oryginalnym wykonaniu. I teraz jest podobnie. Zaaranżowany w rockowej stylistyce utwór (partię gitary wykonuje Nick Zinner z grupy Yeah Yeah Yeahs) stopniowo nabiera rozmachu, a kiedy w finale dołączają smyczki, staje się małą symfonią bezsilności i rozpaczy. Billie byłaby dumna z tego nagrania.

Czy jest to zatem idealny „tribute album”? Na pewno nie. Podobnie, jak to było z Dylanem śpiewającym Sinatrę, więcej jest tu „ucznia”, niż „mistrza”. A jednak, kiedy znaczący, oryginalnie artyści sięgają po dorobek swoich idoli z miłością i szacunkiem, powstają płyty, które poruszą czułe struny u miłośników jednych i drugich. ---Daniel Wyszogrodzki, jazzforum.com.pl

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01. Melanin Song (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 5:33 
02. Don't Look Back (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 4:55 	play
03. Rhythm on My Mind (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 5:39 
04. Wonders of Your Love (James Weidman/Cassandra Wilson) 4:11 
05. Nothin' But a Thang (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 5:57 
06. I Will Be There (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 5:54 
07. Just Keep Thinking of Eubay (Cassandra Wilson/Jean-Paul Bourelly) 6:02 
08. Another Rainy Day (Cassandra Wilson) 3:57 
09. Amazing Grace (Traditional/arr. Cassandra Wilson) 4:48 
10. Dance to the Drummer Again (Cassandra Wilson) 5:15		play

Personel:
Cassandra Wilson- (Vocal, Synthesizer and Piano) 
Jean-Paul Bourelly- (Guitar and Guitar Synthesizer) - 1-3,5-7 
Kevin Bruce Harris- (Bass Guitar) - 1,2,4-6,8 
Kevin A. Johnson- (Drums) - 1,2,6 
Rod Williams- (Synthesizer) - 3,5-7 
James Weidman- (Piano) - 4,8 
Mark Johnson- (Drums) - 4,8 
Doc Rhythm Boss- (Percussion) - 1 
Jeff Komunyaka Haynes- (Percussion) - 10 
Bill McClellan- (Drums) – 10

It is obvious listening to this music in hindsight that vocalist Cassandra Wilson was at the crossroads of her career in 1992. She had spent several years often singing in a free funk M-Base setting, an idiom with little use for a vocalist. On this CD, not only does she sound bored to death on her own unimaginative material, but Wilson sings virtually everything in the same world-weary tone of voice. The rhythms are quite ponderous and annoying. Despite his best efforts, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly is unable to do much to uplift this fiasco. ---Scott Yanow

On this early-1990s release, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly began a string of increasingly sympathetic producers. Production, and judicious instrumentation, are crucial to Cassandra Wilson's deep, arch aesthetic. Here, her smoky voice finds a casual, sensuous, tenor-sax richness amid Bourelly's electric-guitar riffing. Her singing suggests many inspirations. Betty Carter and Nina Simone, certainly, but Ella, Sarah, and Billy echo in her poise, personality, and stylishness. Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae come to mind as well. Also formative were Wilson's 1980s contributions to New York's M-Base collective. They involved exploration of all the African-American musics then afloat. M-Base also was committed to artistic self-definition. Here, 6 of the 10 selections are by Wilson, including "Don't Look Back," one of her several anthems of black resilience. --Peter Monaghan

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01. Lover Come Back To Me 
02. Black Orpheus 
03. Wouldn't It Be Loverly 
04. Gone With The Wind 
05. Caravan 
06. Till There Was You 
07. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most 
08. Arere 
09. St. James Infirmary 
10. Dust My Broom 
11. Very Thought Of You 
12. Sleepin' Bee

Cassandra Wilson -  Vocals
Lekan Babalola 	- Percussion
Jason Moran - Piano
Lonnie Plaxico - Bass (Upright)
Rhonda Richmond - Vocals (Background)
Herlin Riley - Drums
Reginald Veal  - Bass (Upright)

Vocalist Cassandra Wilson has used her 15 years at Blue Note to explore the interpretive range of her voice, whether singing tunes by Van Morrison, Robert Johnson, Lewis Allan, Miles Davis, or Hoagy Carmichael. In many ways, Wilson has offered a new view of the standard by using classic rock and Delta blues tunes in her live and recorded repertoires. That said, Loverly is her first offering comprised almost completely of American songbook standards since Blue Skies 20 years ago. Wilson produced the recording in Jackson, MS, and surrounded herself with old friends: guitarist Marvin Sewell, bassists Reggie Veal and Lonnie Plaxico, drummer Herlin Riley, and labelmate and pianist Jason Moran. The material is beautifully chosen; it ranges from Oscar Hammerstein's "Lover Come Back to Me" and Luiz Bonfá's "A Day In The Life Of A Fool" (the English version of "Black Orpheus") to Juan Tizol's "Caravan," Irving Mills' "St. James Infirmary," and Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You." Given Wilson's working methods, these standards are performed in iconic ways -- without losing the central integrity of their sources. A prime example would be "Caravan," where the basic rhythmic pulse has been doubled with a snare, hi-hat, and taut, edgy piano. Wilson offers the melody as written, but with her own stretched-line phrasing applied to the lyric. "Lover Come Back to Me" carries within it the gentle bounce of the original, and Wilson evokes both Nina Simone and Betty Carter in her rhythmic approach to the lyric and melody. The warm double-time guitar strut of Sewell paces the track; Moran's solo walks a line between show tune formalism and vanguard improv that is fresh and exciting. The reading of "Black Orpheus" here is unusual: Wilson is very conservative in her approach to the melody, so much so that the beautiful Portuguese "saudade" element is texturally amplified and bossa is stretched to the breaking point. The band's meld of subtle Afro-Latin rhythms evokes Cuban son, and conserves the root elements in the original. The duet between Sewell's truly unique acoustic guitar style and Wilson's vocal on "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" is utterly tender. A pair of left-field cuts are here as well. First is a group improvisation called "Arere." Propelled by a hypnotic, nearly funky upright bassline, Sewell plays short choppy chords with Afro-Cuban percussion in the backdrop; Moran plays around and through the polyrhythms as Wilson sings and speaks -- she improvises with the band in a number of different languages. Strangely, it doesn't feel out of place here. The other ringer is a read on Elmore James' trademark blues "Dust My Broom." It is not offered as the raucous barroom wailer it classically is. Instead, it's snaky, sultry, and steamy. Sewell's edgy, razored slide guitar, hand percussion, and Wilson's finger snaps accompany her voice on the first verses, establishing a groove before the rest of the band enters. Her phrasing is pure sassy soul that gradually takes this blues firmly into the jazz camp. Wilson has done what many other singers -- many of them on Blue Note -- couldn't even envision: she has taken a substantial part of the American songbook, employed a crack, risk-taking jazz group, and added new depth, texture, and meaning to these songs, without sacrificing their elegance or appeal. Loverly is the only reason to avoid imposing a moratorium on the very tired standards genre that has become the bane of jazz in recent years. It cannot be recommended highly enough. ---Thom Jurek

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1. Cassandra Wilson - Lover Come Back To Me (06:51)             play
2. Cassandra Wilson - Went Down To St. James Infirmary (07:14)
3. Cassandra Wilson - A Night In Seville (03:00)
4. Cassandra Wilson - Beneath A Silver Moon (06:39)
5. Cassandra Wilson - Saddle Up My Pony (09:32)
6. Cassandra Wilson - If It's Magic (04:34)
7. Cassandra Wilson - Forty Days & Forty Nights (04:59)
8. Cassandra Wilson - Silver Pony (00:36)                      play
9. Cassandra Wilson - A Day In The Life Of A Fool (07:35)
10. Cassandra Wilson - Blackbird (06:46)
11. Cassandra Wilson - Watch The Sunrise (03:31)

Personnel: 
Cassandra Wilson: vocals, synthesizer; 
Jonathan Batiste: piano; 
Marvin Sewell: electric guitar; 
Reginald Veal: electric bass; 
Herlin Riley: drums; 
Lekan Babalola: percussion.

Silver Pony, zachwycający nowy album jazzowo-popowej piosenkarki i wielokrotnej zdobywczyni nagrody Grammy, Cassandry Wilson, został wydany przez należącą do EMI wytwórnię płytową Blue Note Records. Wilson, której znakiem rozpoznawczym jest niesamowity, zabarwiony charakterystyczną chrypką wibrujący głos. Gościnnie w produkcji albumu wystąpili: Terence Blanchard, raper Common ("Silver Moon") oraz wokalista i autor piosenek - John Legend ("Watch The Sunrise"). Silver Pony to jedyne w swoim rodzaju hybrydowe połączenie albumu na żywo i studyjnego, gdzie nagrania na żywo z trasy po Europie płynnie przeplatają się z nagraniami studyjnymi stworzonymi w Piety Street Studios w Nowym Orleanie. Na krążku znajduje się mieszanka jazzowych i popowych klasyków oraz nowych piosenek napisanych przez Cassandrę i jej zespół. --Merlin

Cassandra Wilson, who consistently defies convention as this restless chanteuse, doesn't disappoint with Silver Pony—issued today on Blue Note as the long-awaited part-in studio, part-live followup to her celebrated Loverly. She has the vocal phrasing, the dusky intellect, of Charlie Parker and the elastic intuition of Betty Carter. Yet, Wilson is no throwback. She writes her own music, and surrounds herself with top-shelf improvisers. Even when including songs from the canon—here, that includes “Lover Come Back to Me," and “St. James Infirmary"—Wilson has always approached them with a tinkerer's eye for disassembling and reanimating. She's also taken chances on pop music, in the great tradition of Miles Davis, and uncovered unexpected revelations on “Blackbird," an acoustic Beatles song that takes flight on Silver Pony.

The album was borne out of time spent back home in the Deep South, shuttling back and forth between Wilson's birth city of Jackson, Miss., and a house in New Orleans as her mother fought through a final illness. Wilson then embarked on a 13-city European tour, from which several live cuts are included. That adds an undercurrent of homecoming and of sadness, but doesn't keep Wilson and her intensely talented group of sidemen—notably the rhythm section of drummer Herlin Riley and bassist Reginald Veal , who've worked with Wynton and Branford Marsalis — from their appointed duties to swing, to sway, and to surprise. Wilson makes a growling statement on the opener, a gritty take on “Lover Come Back to Me," signalling that this set will keep a firm grip on the dreams that survive our pain. They have some fun, too: Long-time guitarist Marvin Sewell takes an groovy, angular approach on “St. James Infirmary," reimaging the traditional tune as a riffy funk vehicle.

A portion of Silver Pony was also recorded at New Orleans' Piety Street studios, with producer John Fischbach (who previously worked on Loverly, the 2008 Grammy award-winning standards album). In these more intimate environs, Wilson's voice becomes quieter, darker still—turning “If It's Magic," for instance, into a moving plea of quiet desperation. Yet, surrounded by that blue-black gloaming, her band doesn't recede so much as begin to more fully assert itself. Big Easy piano prodigy Jonathan Batiste adds a fizzy, fusion-era Chick Corea-sounding electric piano signature on the completely improvised “A Night in Seville." Percussionist Lekan Babalola, another alum from Loverly, then moves inside and around imaginative torrents of sound by guest saxophonist Ravi Coltrane on “Beneath a Silver Moon"—a new tune built up from Juan Tizol's “Caravan."

As has become her tradition over an eight-album stint at Blue Note, Wilson again includes a selection of deep-blues standards—Charlie Patton's “Saddle Up My Pony," presented with a pleasant clip-clop shuffle in concert; and “Forty Days and Forty Nights," closely associated with Muddy Waters. These songs tie her back to those Mississippi roots, to Highway 51 and cotton fields, to her earliest memories of her family and her childhood. But again, Wilson's not overly careful with them, pulling them inside out and stretching their boundaries—as she had with dazzling earlier interpretations including Robert Johnson's “Come on In My Kitchen." –Nick Deriso

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01. Run The VooDoo Down 
02. Traveling Miles 
03. Right Here, Right Now 
04. Time After Time 
05. When The Sun Goes Down 
06. Seven Steps 
07. Someday My Prince Will Come 
08. Never Broken (ESP) 
09. Resurrection Blues (Tutu) 
10. Sky and Sea (Blue In Green) 
11. Piper 
12. VooDoo Reprise

Cassandra Wilson - Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Marcus Baylor - Drums, Drums (Snare), Percussion
Kevin Breit - Bouzouki, Guitars, Guitar (Resonator), Mandocello, Mandolin
Regina Carter - Violin
Mino Cinelu - Percussion
Steve Coleman - Sax (Alto)
Olu Dara – Cornet
Stefon Harris - Vibraphone
Jeff Haynes - Percussion
Vincent Henry - Harmonica
Dave Holland - Bass (Acoustic)
Angélique Kidjo - Vocals
Eric Lewis - Piano
Pat Metheny - Guitar (Classical)
Lonnie Plaxico - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Marvin Sewell - Guitars
Cecilia Smith - Marimba
Perry Wilson - Drums

A tribute album by Cassandra Wilson to Miles Davis seems like a very logical idea, but this CD is actually less than one would expect. Wilson's deep voice gives a downbeat feel to the music, her lyrics for such Davis-associated songs as "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down," "Seven Steps to Heaven," "ESP," "Tutu," and "Blue in Green" are forgettable, and her interpretations smooth down most of the melodies, robbing them of their personality. Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and "Someday My Prince Will Come" fare better, but most of the set (which includes three unrelated originals) is as boring as Cassandra Wilson's voice. Despite the presence of some notable all-stars (including Steve Coleman, Stefon Harris, Regina Carter, and Pat Metheny), this is a misfire. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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1 	Don't Look Back		5:55
2 	Soul Melange	11:35
3 	'Round Midnight		7:58
4 	My Corner Of The Sky	9:46
5 	Desperate Move	12:04
6 	Body And Soul	9:31
7 	Rock This Calling	12:17

Cassandra Wilson - Vocals
John Weidman - Piano, Synth.
Kevin Bruce Harris - Electric Bass
Mark Johnson - Drums

Singer Cassandra Wilson was still searching for her own style during the time of this live concert. Accompanied by keyboardist James Weidman, electric bassist Kevin Bruce Harris and drummer Mark Johnson, Wilson performs four of her originals (none of which are too memorable), Steve Coleman's "Desperate Move" and a couple of standards ("'Round Midnight" and "Body and Soul"). This forgettable (and somewhat boring) set is strictly for Cassandra Wilson completists; more general listeners are advised to get her more interesting mid-'90s recordings instead. ---Scott Yanow, AllMusic Review

The session was recorded at Amerika Haus in Munich in April of 1991 .

Cassandra Wilson has always been regarded, and quite rightly, as a somewhat avant garde singer and it is in this mode that she performs this set. The backing trio is excellent and although their performance could also be classed as contemporary, they are always interesting. John Weidman for instance solos at length on Round Midnight before Cassandra takes over this Thelonius Monk composition.

Cassandra also had a hand in writing no less than four of the seven numbers played. Few of her contemporaries would attempt such a feat. The total playing time of 69 minutes indicates an average playing time per track of nearly ten minutes, which is unusual in itself! Cassandra should not be compared to the average, she has a style all of her and an uncompromising attitude towards her own performance.

The best track for me is Body & Soul, it is such magnificent tune in any case and Cassandra uses all her inventive skills to create a unique version. To Cassandra Wilson fans this CD is a must to add to their collection, for those not familiar with her work it is a good place to start. ---Don Mather, musicweb-international.com

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01 – Red Guitar
02 – No More Blues
03 – O Sole Mio
04 – Deep Blue
05 – Almost Twelve
06 – Passion
07 – When Will I See You Again
08 – Another Country
09 – Letting You Go
10 – Olomuroro
11 – O Sole Mio Funk

Personnel:
Cassandra Wilson – vocals, guitar
Fabrizio Sotti – guitars
Julien Labro – accordion
Nicola Sorato – bass
Mino Cinelu, Lekan Babalola – percussion
NOCCA Chamber Choir

On her 19th album, Cassandra Wilson, ever the musical chameleon, changes directions once more. She is arguably the greatest living female jazz singer. Well known for her blues, soul, pop covers, and jazz standards, her smoky alto bends almost everything to its will. Wilson's phrasing is utterly unique, as original as any horn player's or pianist's music. Another Country, co-produced by Wilson and guitarist Fabrizio Sotti, was recorded in three different studios in Florence, New Orleans, and New York. She wrote all but three selections here: there are two instrumentals by Sotti and a reading of "O Sole Mio." Other players include bassist Nicola Sorato, Julien Labro on accordion, and percussionists Mino Cinelu and Lekan Babalola. Opener "Red Guitar" displays the wisdom of this small-group approach beautifully. Her vocal illustrates a mysterious, sensual jazz blues that is accented by Sotti, hand drums, and an atmospheric, unintrusive accordion. "No More Blues" is more elegiac, a spacy jazz tune with fine syncopation and the suggested undercurrent of a blues backbeat. "Almost Twelve" is an ambitious attempt at bossa nova but it falls short. Wilson restrains herself to fit the song form rather than retrofit it to her voice; it's too much of a compromise. The Latin undertones in "Passion" work far better and the singer is able to engage her lower register and sing in near counterpoint to her accompanists. It's a heady, intoxicating swirl of lyric harmony and rhythmic invention. With its classical trappings and the prominence of the accordion, "O Sole Mio" should sound corny -- it doesn't. Wilson delivers it as a haunting folk song and reinvents it for the 21st century. The slippery meld of jazz, folk, and pop in the set's longest tune, "When Will I See You Again," makes it the most unusual and engaging track here. Wilson's compositional language is as imaginative as her singing, and Sotti's skeletal yet seemingly lush arrangements are sumptuous. The title track employs samba, post-bop jazz, and nuevo flamenco. Wilson's voice compels her poetic lyrics to assert themselves over the melody, as Sotti soars in his tasteful solo. Though there are a couple of missteps here, Another Country is a welcome new phase for Wilson. Not only are her boundaries as a singer expanding with her musical choices; her songwriting instincts and languages are developing exponentially as well. --- Thom Jurek, Rovi

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1. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
2. I Wished On The Moon
3. 'Round Midnight
4. Angel
5. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
6. Chelsea Bridge
7. I'm Old Fashioned
8. Baubles, Bangles, And Beads
9. Blue Skies
10. Blue In Green

Cassandra Wilson - Vocals
Jean-Paul Bourelly - Guitar
Terri Lyne Carrington - Drums
Kevin Bruce Harris - Bass
Mark Johnson - Drums
Mulgrew Miller - Piano
Grachan Moncur III - Trombone
Lonnie Plaxico - Bass
Reggie Washington - Bass
James Weidman - Piano
Rod Williams - Piano

Jazz fans who complain about not hearing enough jazz in Cassandra Wilson's eclectic sound, which has increasingly tilted toward pop and blues, will find ample rewards in this collection of her (relatively) straight-ahead efforts from the late '80s. Drawing from four albums for the JMT label, it charts her steady growth away from Brooklyn's electric, funk-based M-Base school and into an earthier, more personal approach. Going to school herself on Betty Carter's elastic time feel and unhurried rhythms, she avoids predictability on songs such as "'Round Midnight" and a wordless rendering of Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge." There's less interest in her handling of earlier standards such as "I'm Old Fashioned" and "Blue Skies," which lack depth, but never any lack of attractiveness. ---Lloyd Sachs, amazon.com

Cassandra Wilson is ostensibly a jazz singer, but more often than not crosses the creative line between folk, pop, and jazz. This collection of previously released tracks features Wilson on various jazz standards giving one a nice view of Wilson as simply a jazz vocalist. While this is in no way a "must have" for fans of the much lauded singer, it is a nice place for jazz aficionados to begin listening to this singular artist. ---Matt Collar, Rovi

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