NINA SIMONE – To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story – Sony Legacy 86971100921 – 1 DVD + 3 CDs, c. four hours. ***½ [Release date: Sept. 30, 08]:
First listen to disc 1 on this set. It is by far the best. Nina Simone’s work from the late fifties to mid-sixties is unquestionably superior. The somber contralto with its rumbling vibrato and plunging-soaring range made her famous in this period. She also chose solid passionate songs that pass the time test. Did you know that Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood was written for her and not The Animals? Listen to her sing it and you’ll believe every word. Her intentions were good, even when her bipolar disorder later branded her as “moody” and “hard to work with.” She always infused Bessie Smith songs like Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out with her own gritty style. You’ll hear I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl sung with the raw gusto it deserves. The harrowing Pirate Jenny (Weill/Brecht), with the southern flavour Simon imparts, is impossible to turn off. About half the songs on this compilation are live, which may account for the mixed results.
Sometimes her intros to pieces like Mississippi Goddam, while touching, are a bit preachy, tempting you to fast forward through them by the fifth time. Songs from the late sixties and seventies are uneven, not as notable as her early work. She chose pop covers like The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun and Let it Be, and Dylan’s Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues and Just Like a Woman, and produced lacklustre results. One of her own songs from this era, Poppies, while containing poignant lyrics, is marred by over orchestration and a pointless backup group. Her cover of Mr. Bojangles, made famous by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1971), is nothing special and her voice breaks. Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter may be whimsical but sounds slapdash. On the other hand, two unreleased live pieces, the scat-song Nina and the sitar-laced Zungo (by Ola Tungi) showcase fine experimental singing that engages the audience. Her most successful late cover is Randy Newman’s Baltimore, to which she gives a reggae beat.
The included DVD features the 1970 Emmy-nominated, 23-minute, unreleased documentary L’hommage: Nina Simone by Peter Rodis. Hand-held with atrocious sound and annoying voiceovers, it is nevertheless the only video that lets Nina Simone sound off on her controversial and cranky opinions. Be forewarned: it’s pretty choppy. You never hear one song all the way through. (It’s also on YouTube.) [Where, like everything there, it’s even choppier…Ed.] If you’re the type that doesn’t mind cherry-picking your way through songs, get this set. There’s probably enough sweet-tart fruit to satisfy you. Eight of the 51 audio tracks are previously unreleased. Her career from 1957 to 1993 is covered, using tracks from albums she made for Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA, CTI and Elektra. The illustrated booklet also includes track-by-track annotations of each one.
TrackList:
Disc: 1
1. Mood Indigo
2. I Loves You, Porgy
3. My Baby Just Cares For Me
4. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
5. You Can Have Him (Live)
6. Wild Is The Wind (Live)
7. Trouble In Mind (Live)
8. When Malindy Sings/Swing Low Sweet Chariot (Live) [previously unreleased]
9. See-Line Woman
10. Pirate Jenny (Live)
11. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
12. I Put A Spell On You
13. Ne Me Quitte Pas
14. Feeling Good
15. Four Women
16. My Man’s Gone Now
17. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
18. To Love Somebody
19. Sunday In Savannah (Live)
20. Backlash Blues (Live)
Disc: 2
1. Mississippi Goddam (Live)
2. In The Morning
3. Ain’t Got No-I Got Life [previously unreleased in the U.S. – alternate version]
4. Do What You Gotta Do
5. Seems I’m Never Tired Loving You
6. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
7. The Times They Are A-Changin’
8. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
9. The Other Woman (Live)
10. I Think It’s Going To Rain Today (Live)
11. Save Me (Live)
12. Revolution (Live)
13. To Be Young, Gifted And Black
14. Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair (Live)
15. Westwind (Live)
16. Who Knows Where The Time Goes (Live)
17. Suzanne (Live) [previously unreleased in the U.S.]
Disc: 3
1. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (Live) [previously unreleased]
2. Just Like A Woman
3. Here Comes The Sun
4. Tanywey [previously unreleased]
5. Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter (Live)
6. My Sweet Lord/Today Is A Killer (Live)
7. Let It Be Me (Live) [previously unreleased]
8. Poppies
9. Mr. Bojangles (Live)
10. I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl (Live)
11. Nina (Live) [previously unreleased]
12. Zungo (Live) [previously unreleased]
13. Baltimore
14. A Single Woman
Disc: 4
1. Ain’t Got No-I Got Life (DVD content)
2. Pirate Jenny (DVD content)
3. Don’t You Pay Them No Mind (DVD content)
4. Milestones(DVD content)
5. Go To Hell (DVD content)
6. Backlash Blues (DVD content)
7. Percussion/Drums/Clapping/Dancing (DVD content)
8. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (DVD content)
9. Precious Lord (DVD content)
— Peter Bates
