The Singular Miss Simone: An Homage to Nina Simone

       The one and only Nina Simone would be turning 90 on February 21 so I thought it only proper to honor her with a little homage.  To be clear, she only formally "wrote" about half of the songs on the compilation, but Nina's versions of the songs (several of which are traditional songs) are in almost all the cases, the definitive versions of the songs.  (Yola, however, does credit Aretha Franklin's arrangement of "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black".)  For instance, Jeff Buckley's version of Lilac Wine isn't a note for note cover, but it's pretty clear that her version was the one that inspired him.   

           I should also note my inspiration for this compilation is the 1996 release "Nina Sings Nina" which features a bunch of the songs on this compilation.  The actual cd is out of print, but I'm pretty sure all songs are still available.

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My Mama Could Sing (Intro)	Lisa Simone
Come Ye	India.Arie
Wild Is The Wind	Ms. Lauryn Hill
Lilac Wine	Jeff Buckley
Sea Lion Woman	Feist
African Mailman	The Rhythmagic Orchestra
Sinnerman	Keziah Jones
Be My Husband	Dianne Reeves
Four Women	Malia
...Sugar In My Bowl	Asylum Street Spankers
Either Way I Lose	Meshell Ndegeocello
Plain Gold Ring	Kimbra
Mississippi Goddam	Piano Tribute Players
I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)	Solomon Burke
To Be Young, Gifted and Black	Yola