Do Nothin’ Till You Here From Me/I Got It Bad &That Ain’t Good/Hey Buddy Bolden/Something To Live For/You Better Know It/I Like The Sunrise/Solitude/The Gal From Joe’s/Satin Doll/It Don’t Mean A Thing
Nina Simone Sings Ellington! was intended as her tribute to the jazz master. However it was rather a disappointment as her vocals are submerged by unsuitable back up singers and lacklustre arrangements.
“This is a bizarre album. I've heard it called Simone's most jazzy work, but that seems to be based on the material. Behind Simone is a big band with professional but unexciting arrangements by Ralph Burns. One of the main problems is the backing from one of those vocal outfits from the period who go dooby-doob-doob in the background. So there is a wrestle for Ellington's soul between Simone's vocals, which overall are very good, and the treacle in the background.”
“This is a superlative pick for fans of both Nina Simone and Duke Ellington. Something To Live For has seldom been performed with such pathos or power. I Like The Sunrise, from Ellington's Liberian Suite, is given a beautiful choral arrangement. Finally, you have to admire the inclusion of some rather offbeat material such as Hey Buddy Bolden, The Gal From Joe's and Merry Mending. Listening to this album is a real gas.”
“This is just not Nina at her finest. The best way to describe it is over arranged. Very bland and schmaltzy, strings and all. She really never gets to dig in and do what she does best.”
“Nina Simone is one my favourite singers, but this particular album is disappointing, the only album of hers I don't like. Here Nina gets drowned in a choir of backup singers and atrocious arrangements.”
“Nina Simone was a unique treasure as both a great pianist and a great singer. She produced many fantastic recordings, but this Ellington LP is nearly unlistenable due to the horrible backup singers that were layered on to the recordings afterwards. Avoid this one.”
“Hey, Buddy Bolden and The Gal From Joe's are crucial Nina incongruently stacked with a lot of reasonably to toxically nasty grandiloquent 'Moon in June' Las Vegas jazz orchestra with horrible, garish, formal backing choruses.”
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