Eight years ago, I sat in Bill Straw’s living room in Los Angeles, listening to what was to be Eva Cassidy’s debut album. I was stunned into silence at both the purity of her voice and the material, all the more when I was told that she wouldn’t be around to promote it, because with that album, and each subsequent release, she has gone on to heights undreamed of by even the most optimistic .
American Tune, most of the songs discovered by her producer in recent times, is no different. The mix – trad, blues, straight pop (there’s a gorgeous cover of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’) – shouldn’t work, but it does. She brings such individuality to each piece, investing every phrase, nay, every note, with passion, strength or control as the occasion dictates. The fact also that all of the recordings were so basic, not having been multi-tracked adds immeasurably to their impact.
The artistic integrity which is the late Eva Cassidy’s byword shines through like a beacon. Listen, and as before, be utterly seduced.