Maps of Music
Simply Eva (2011)
Where the lyrics of Simply Eva take you, and where it was really made.
Simply Eva arrived fifteen years after Eva Cassidy's death in 1996 as her eighth posthumous album, built from acoustic performances with her own guitar.
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Overview
- Simply Eva: eighth posthumous album by Eva Cassidy
- Released 25 January 2011, fifteen years after her death in 1996
- Collection of 11 acoustic tracks with Cassidy herself on guitar
- Includes an a cappella version of "I Know You By Heart"
- Digital downloads add the Christmas single "Silent Night" as a bonus track
- Track list includes songs by other writers, such as "Songbird" by Christine McVie and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield
- Includes the Blues Alley version of "Over the Rainbow", which was not on the Live at Blues Alley album
Background
- Cassidy died in 1996; this is her eighth album released after her death
- The album presents her voice and guitar in a stripped-back acoustic setting
- Critics described the album as a celebration of her as a folk singer
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Songbird | 2:54 |
| 2 | Wayfaring Stranger | 3:08 |
| 3 | People Get Ready | 3:28 |
| 4 | True Colours | 3:48 |
| 5 | Who Knows Where the Time Goes | 4:52 |
| 6 | Over the Rainbow | 5:28 |
| 7 | Kathy's Song | 4:36 |
| 8 | San Francisco Bay Blues | 3:55 |
| 9 | Wade in the Water | 2:40 |
| 10 | Time After Time | 4:08 |
| 11 | Autumn Leaves | 4:05 |
| 12 | I Know You by Heart | 0:54 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Career
- Eva Marie Cassidy (1963–1996) was an American singer and musician known for jazz, folk and blues interpretations with a powerful, emotive soprano voice.
- Her first album, The Other Side (1992), was a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown; Live at Blues Alley (1996) followed.
- She was honored by the Washington Area Music Association and won two Wammies in 1994, but was virtually unknown outside the Washington, D.C. area when she died of melanoma at 33 in 1996.
Posthumous Success
- In 1998 the compilation Songbird was assembled; BBC Radio 2 airplay in 2000 brought her music to British audiences.
- Songbird topped the UK Albums Chart, and her posthumous recordings have sold more than ten million copies.
- Nine posthumous albums have been released, the latest I Can Only Be Me (2023) with the London Symphony Orchestra, which reached number 9 in the UK.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Simon Gage of the Daily Express: stripped-back arrangement leaves only the voice and a guitar, a celebration of a beautiful folk singer
- Andy Gill of The Independent: earlier releases usually had small ensembles, but this one is fully solo with only her own acoustic guitar
- Andy Gill: the intimacy of "Autumn Leaves" leaves the listener feeling like an intruder on a private reverie
- Andy Gill: "Kathy's Song" is among the material performed in this solo setting
Reappraisal
- Thom Jurek of AllMusic: fans need this album
- Thom Jurek: the naked intimacy of the album is among the most convincing arguments yet for her posthumous reputation
Records
- UK Albums Chart: number 4 on 13 February 2011
- Certified silver and gold on 18 February 2011
- Debuted at number 52 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Simply Eva debuted at number 52 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and reached number 4 on the UK Charts.
- The album includes "Silent Night" as a Christmas single bonus track in digital downloads.
- The Blues Alley version of "Over the Rainbow" was kept off the Live at Blues Alley album and placed here instead.
- The track list includes "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" by Sandy Denny.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org