Folksy Nina

Like the 1963 LP Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall, this was recorded at Carnegie Hall on May 12, 1963, but duplicates little of the material found on that prior album. It isn't just unworthy leftovers, but a strong set in its own right, concentrating on material that could be seen as traditional or folk in orientation. It's not exactly strictly folk music, in repertoire or arrangement (which includes piano, guitar, bass, and drums, though not every tune has all of the instruments); "Twelfth of Never" (which had also appeared on the Carnegie Hall LP) certainly isn't folk music. However, there was also an uptempo piano blues, Leadbelly's "Silver City Bound"; covers of the Israeli "Erets Zavat Chalav" and "Vanetihu" which served as further proof that Simone's eclecticism knew no bounds; and the stark, moody, spiritually shaded ballads at which she excelled ("When I Was a Young Girl," "Hush Little Baby"). "Lass of the Low Country" is as exquisitely sad-yet-beautiful as it gets. The album has been combined with another Colpix LP, Nina Simone with Strings, on a single-disc CD reissue by Collectables. Tracklist: 01 - Silver City Bound 02 - When I Was a Young Girl 03 - Erets Zavat Chalav 04 - Lass of the Low Country 05 - The Young Knight 06 - Twelfth of Never 07 - Vanetihu 08 - You Can Sing a Rainbow 09 - Hush Little Baby