1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 71. Nina Simone – Wild is the Wind (1966)

The first female soloist for a long time, and this is what I thought Billie Holliday or Ella Fitzgerald would be like - Jazzy bluesy soul, stripped right down so that it’s often just Simone’s voice and a piano that acts as an occasional embellishment more than accompaniment. It feels like being in a cabaret where she’s picked out alone in the spotlight pouring out heart and soul to the audience, and this is another album where the singer is really able to make you feel the emotions of the song. 

Many of the tracks are stripped right back, and are slow, emotional pieces, like Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair, but on the title track, the piano and Simone’s voice swirl and interweave. It’s an astonishing track; I heard the Bowie cover first, but both have merits. I still can’t work out if it has a structure to it, or if it just flows loosely around the theme, but it’s glorious stuff.  

Simone’s voice has the ability to carry both the soft and vulnerable pieces, and to belt out power numbers when required. The track Four Women is just such a one, the tales of four African-American women and their experiences in life. The steady plod of the music builds tension and drives towards the crescendo. This, to me, was the stand-out track in the album comprised mainly of sultry soulful numbers. That said, though, these are good, and it’s one that stuck with me later when I came to edit my notes. 

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