Nina Simone Sings the Blues

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Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Ninasimonesingstheblues.jpg
Studio album by
Nina Simone
Released1967
RecordedRCA Victor's studio B
GenreBlues, soul, jazz, pop, folk
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerDanny Davis
Nina Simone chronology
High Priestess of Soul
(1967) 		Nina Simone Sings the Blues
(1967) 		Silk & Soul
(1967)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic5/5 stars[1]
All About Jazz(Highly favorable)[2]
Pop Matters(Favorable)[3]
Tom HullB[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[5]

Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Records after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and re-packaged in 1991 by RCA/Novus as a 17-track compilation under the title The Blues.

Song information[]

  • "My Man's Gone Now", from the opera Porgy & Bess by George Gershwin.
  • "Backlash Blues", one of Simone's civil rights songs. The lyrics were written by her friend and poet Langston Hughes.
  • "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl", based on a song by Simone's great example, Bessie Smith, but with somewhat different lyrics.
  • "The House of the Rising Sun" was previously recorded live by Simone in 1962 on Nina at the Village Gate. After its cover by The Animals became a hit, she recorded it in studio. The fast-paced version on this album is very different from the slow, intimate version on Nina at the Village Gate.

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do I Move You?"Nina Simone2:46
2."Day and Night"Rudy Stevenson2:35
3."In the Dark"Lil Green2:57
4."Real Real"Nina Simone2:21
5."My Man's Gone Now"George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward4:16
6."Backlash Blues"Langston Hughes, Nina Simone2:31
7."I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl"Nina Simone2:32
8."Buck"Andy Stroud1:52
9."Since I Fell for You"Buddy Johnson2:52
10."The House of the Rising Sun"Traditional3:53
11."Blues for Mama"Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln4:00
Bonus tracks on 2006 reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Do I Move You?" (Second version)Nina Simone2:17
13."Whatever I Am"Willie Dixon2:35
Additional tracks on The Blues (1991)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."The Pusher" (from It Is Finished)Hoyt Axton4:50
13."Turn Me On" (from Silk & Soul)John D. Loudermilk2:24
14."It's Nobody's Fault But Mine" (from Nina Simone and Piano)Blind Willie Johnson2:59
15."Go to Hell" (from Silk & Soul)Morris Bailey, Jr.2:46
16."I Shall Be Released" (from To Love Somebody)Bob Dylan3:51
17."Gin House Blues" (from 'Nuff Said!)Fletcher Henderson, Henry Troy3:08

Personnel[]

Tracks 1-12

  • Nina Simone - vocals, piano
  • Eric Gale - guitar
  • Rudy Stevenson - guitar
  • - organ
  • Bob Bushnell - bass
  • Bernard Purdie - drums, timpani
  • Buddy Lucas - harmonica, tenor saxophone

Track 13

Charts[]

Chart (1967) Peak position
US Hot R&B LPs 29[6]
Chart (2006) Peak position
US Jazz Albums 37[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=20277
  3. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/nina_simone_sings_the_blues_and_others
  4. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz/Pop Vocals (1950s-70s)". tomhull.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  6. ^ "Nina Simone - Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "Nina Simone - Chart History (Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.

External links[]

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