Average Rating: 
Rating: - Eva, we hardly knew you
I haven't been so enthralled with a female vocalist since I was first introduced to the songs of Loreena McKennitt several years ago. I'm confounded by the fact that Eva Cassidy's musical legacy is so limited because of her death of cancer at age 33 in 1996. But, at least I have the CD SONGBIRD to enjoy, as well as Eva's handful of others which I'll likely purchase.SONGBIRD is positively delightful. Even when Cassidy's choice of songs veers into the realm of jazz, which I don't particularly care for, her talent is so remarkable that I set aside my bias for a few minutes. The track that originally caused me to buy this CD is "Over the Rainbow", a well-established traditional piece like "Autumn Leaves" and "People Get Ready" that are also present, all three of which are given new life by Eva's non-traditional interpretations. The title song and "Fields of Gold" are two others which I can, and will, listen to repeatedly. Heard with the knowledge of the singer's premature death, the lyrics of Cassidy's recordings make tears a possibility. You wonder. Did she suspect? Eva could apparently sing anything: folk, blues, jazz, gospel, country, pop, and Celtic. And whatever genre it was, she could, and does, put her heart and feelings into it. I think I shall miss her music so very much.
Rating: - Heaven Sent
Eva Cassidy, an American, may have been the finest woman Jazz/Pops/Country/Irish/Gospel vocalist in history, yet virtually unrecognized in the U.S. due to our crazes for such noisey exercises as hip-hop or banging out R&R on an electric. Thankfully, the Brits found her before it was too late. Today I received my copy of her CD called Songbirds. I have played it from start to finish 6 times already today and repeated the tracks Fields of Gold and Over the Rainbow at least 8 times more. Clearly, she had all the attributes of true greatness - a voice with pure clarity when needed and character from the foggy to the piercingly cutting, over all of which she had nearly perfect control, perfect pitch throughout an exceptionally wide range, a sweet subtle vibrato that is never excessive or misapplied, and interpretation with nuances that (believe it) easily surpass Sinatra. The icing on the cake is her fine almost classical guitar technique. How could so many kinds of perfection come in one tiny package? The only reasonable explanation has to be God's plan to have her hone her talents here on earth and then pass through the Pearly Gates at the early age of 33 to fill God's need for the best possible solo talent up there. Angels, eat your heart out.
Rating: - Touched and Left Breathless with the voice, with the person
I hardly ever venture outside my genre of preference and the type of music I sing semi-professionally, which is classical. But I was captivated one night as I caught the last 10 minutes or so of an ABC Nightline Special about an American singer currently enjoying huge posthumous success in the U.K. Then when I heard the voice and saw her sing "Over the Rainbow" in a rare video clip (you can still view it by doing a search of her name in ABCNEWS.com - I have done that too many times to count too), I felt in an instant a connection to her and the purity of her voice and artistry. Well, I just got my cd yesterday and played it too many times to count. Eva performs each piece with precision rythm and immaculate and unique stylings. She also has a variety of "colours" to her voice to perform each song of her eclectic collection. Lucky for us she sang out of the simple and unadulterated motive of singing whatever song she loved and that meant something to her and declined sticking to any one type of music for commercial profit. Hence we get to hear her sing folk type ballads, gospel, jazz, and soul; all sung with the precise colorings of the voice as appropriate for the song. After reading the accompanying brochure about her down-to-earth life (she was shy and preferred to keep her low-paying but beloved daytime job as a landscaper), and about her untimely death, I just started weeping while listening to the first song "Fields of Gold" (it is as if she was singing about herself). And the other bookend song "Over the Rainbow" equally moved me. I highly recommend this cd and to see her video clip as mentioned above.
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