Eva Cassidy – American Tune (Vinyl LP)

“Definitions,” wrote Los Angeles Times critic Don Heckman, “become virtually useless to describe the singing of Eva Cassidy.” The career of the gifted and acclaimed vocalist has likewise defied description and easy analysis. Her eclectic tastes – everything from folk and country to jazz, standards, blues, rock and pop – made Eva hard to pigeon-hole, and her lack of exposure beyond her native Washington, D.C. kept her profile low during her lifetime. As with her two previous albums, Time After Time and Imagine, the songs on 2003’s American Tune come from a variety of sources. “The Water is Wide” and “American Tune” were taped at Pearl’s, a storefront restaurant in Annapolis where Eva sometimes performed solo. “It Don’t Mean a Thing” was taped at a higher-profile venue, the King of France Tavern at the Maryland Inn, also in Annapolis. The rest of the songs were recorded at Chris Biondo’s studio, either in Rockville or in Glenn Dale, Maryland. There is no doubt these informal recordings capture Eva’s magic in its purest form – her remarkable voice never fails to send a shiver down the spine or bring a tear to the eye.

1. Drowning in the Sea of Love
2. True Colours
3. The Water Is Wide
4. Hallelujah, I Love Him So
5. God Bless The Child
6. Dark Eyed Molly
7. American Tune
8. It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)
9. Yesterday
10. You Take My Breath Away