Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Feeling Good
2. My Baby Just Cares for Me
3. Love Me or Leave Me
4. Don't You Pay Them No Mind
5. I Love Your Lovin' Ways
6. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
7. Mood Indigo
8. I'm Gonna Leave You
9. See-Line Woman
10. Break Down and Let It All Out
11. This Year's Kisses
12. Ne Me Quitte Pas
13. Sinnerman
14. Missippi Goddam
15. Take Me to the Water
16. Work Song
17. I Hold No Grudge
18. I'm Going Back Home

Disc 2:

1. I Put a Spell On You
2. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
3. I Loves You Porgy
4. Don't Explain
5. The Other Woman
6. What More Can I Say
7. Night Song
8. Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair
9. Keeper of the Flame
10. Strange Fruit
11. Don't Smoke in Bed
12. Wild is the Wind
13. Little Girl Blue
14. One September Day
15. Tell Me More and More and Then Some
16. Blues on Purpose
17. Take Care of Business
18. Gimme Some
19. Feeling Good (Joe Claussell remix) (Bonus Track)
20. See-Line Woman (Masters at Work remix) (Bonus Track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29354 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-09
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 140 minutes

CD Description
Yet another best-of collection from the late, legendary jazz and blues singer, who died in April 2003. Despite some omissions - no 2CD set can hope to feature every one of her great tunes - this still contains many of her best known songs including 'Feeling Good', 'I Put A Spell On You', 'Don't LetMe Be Misunderstood', and some of the more political songs,such as 'Strange Fruit' and 'Mississippi Goddam', which reflect her staunch anti-racist views.

Customer Reviews

NINA'S PURE GOLD LEGACY!
As a tribute this collection achieves its aim as a celebration the artistic life of the late singer. A fierce defender of her corner, Nina refused to ever settle for easy options and as an icon for many upcoming performers as well as the Civil Rights movement her intense interpretations of material combined a fusion of blues, gospel, soul, jazz, folk and pop. Certainly all these elements are well-defined in this compilation with the original 1957 version of MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME, a fast-moving MOOD INDIGO and relevant yet individual interpretations of LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME and THIS YEAR’S KISSES. The inclusion of NE ME QUITTE PAS (IF YOU GO AWAY), MISSISSIPPI GODDAM, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU and I’M GONNA LEAVE YOU are enough to send shivers up the spine, whilst DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD and I PUT A SPELL ON YOU put previous versions in the shade. There is no denying the power and passion contained within Nina’s raw uncompromising possession of each song such as the beautiful simplicity of BLACK IS THE COLOUR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR, the implied anger of STRANGE FRUIT and the mystical quality of WILD IS THE WIND. If you want just one collection by Nina, this just has to be the one!

Thanks Nina
A friend once told me that if God existed and had a voice, this is what itwould sound like. Nina Simone has an androgynous, omnipotent sound. Iwould argue that her voice is untouched by ideology - by notions of class,race, and gender - but it's not really true. She's obviously aworking-class African-American woman with important messages, but I liketo think of her as a kind of 'everyman'. My only problem with this albumis that it doesn't feature '(I wish I knew how it would feel to be) Free,'(featured in Film 2004 and that vile Coca-cola ad) but so what - just buyanother album that does. Hell, buy them all. However, the album does havea satisfying 'Civil Rights Movement' edge to it. I had to buy two albumsin order to get all the songs I wanted, but it's worth it.
'See-line Woman,' 'The Other Woman,' 'Please Don't Let Me Misunderstood,'and 'My Baby Just Cares for Me,' were songs that I found really comfortingon a personal level, but this is far from a 'chick album'. The songs inhere can cure all ills for everyone - they're nice for playing whileyou're in the bath, or when you're stressed, tired or upset aboutsomething. Despite this, it's also a very sexy album ('Gimme Some' cameas quite a suprise, even by today's standards!).
My boyfriend hates Jazz, and much prefers the tortured male vocals ofbands like Nirvana, Chilli Peppers, Metallica, and Muse - but even hecan't resist Nina's beautiful, ballsy, honeyed tones. The songs arecheerful, moody, comforting, sexy as hell, inspirational, empowering, andcool. It's full of songs you'll have heard and liked without ever knowingthe artist and title. It's worth at least three times the selling price -so do yourself a favour and buy it.

A fantastic CD for anyone new to Nina Simone
When I first bought this CD I was not very familiar with the work of Nina Simone and so bought it as something of a 'taster'. After listening to it only once I begame a huge nina fan! There is such a broad range of work present on this CD, from tunes that most people would recognise such as the stirring and uplifting 'Feeling Good', the smooth jazz classic 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' to the dark and haunting 'I Put a Spell on You', which sends shivers down your spine, to a range of others which showcase Nina's unique and passionate voice. I know it sounds unlikely but there in not, in my opinion, a bad song on this CD. There is music to suit every emotion, from upbeat jazzy numbers such as 'I'm Gonna Leave you' to slow, brooding songs such as 'Don't Smoke in Bed'. Present throughout in Nina's amazingly emotional and personal sound which is evident on all the tracks-you really do feel as if she means every word that she is singing and she makes you feel it as well. This is especially evident in songs such as 'Mississippi Goddam' and the painfully emotional 'Strange Fruit' which show Nina singing from the heart about issues of racisim and black prejudice. As well as her special voice, her piano playing is also wonderful to listen to-the piano solo in 'My Bbaby Just Cares for Me' being a persoanl favourite. It is quite difficult to classify her style as this CD encompases jazz, soul, folk, gospel and more, often all merged in together-so it really is a CD for anyone with an appreciation of real musical genius who wants to discover the music of a legendary woman.