Silk & Soul – NINA SIMONE***

It Be’s That Way Sometime/The Look Of Love/Go To Hell/Love O’ Love/Cherish/I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free/Turn Me On/Turning Point/Some Say/Consummation

Nina Simone was considered primarily a jazz singer but she wished to avoid being typecast and so performed songs from many different genres as demonstrated on Silk & Soul. (US:158)

“This is an album defined more by highlights than an overall concept. More orchestrated, musically diverse and to some degree positioned for crossover attention than her previous release of the year. It showcases how Nina's talents had the potential to be very outreaching, yet at the same time often too individual to crossover to everybody.”

“The paradox of Simone's career in the 1960s was that in insisting she wouldn't be typecast as a specific sort of singer - for instance rejecting the description of jazz singer - she constantly made themed albums - blues, soul, pop, jazz - that led her to avoid being typecast. This is the soul album. But not all of it can be contained within that description. A lot of it is good soul, but it doesn't push the music into new territories. There are a couple of pop tunes: The Look Of Love is one of the great pop songs of the 60s and Simone sings it well, but there is nothing to differentiate it from the other versions, she doesn't do anything that now marks it as her song.”

“Silk & Soul embraces a wider range of styles, sounds and textures than its title would suggest. There is a divide between the 'silk' numbers (The Look Of Love, Cherish) and the 'soul' ones (It Be's That Way Sometime, Some Say) but the songs nevertheless hang together remarkably well. Simone is equally comfortable with civil rights-themed protest songs as she is with straightforward love songs. Her vocal delivery is superbly diverse and capable of various tones and styles. All of these elements conspire to create a quite a remarkable album that rewards repeated listening to reveal its true depths.”

“Nina Simone's voice should be declared a national treasure. Simone's work stays remarkably fresh. She is an artist of the highest calibre. This is yet another great album. I don't think she ever recorded a bad record or song for that matter, and Silk and Soul is no exception”