Nightbird

Love her voice and all her songs

Nightbird double CD and DVD showcases the wonderful Eva Cassidy concert recorded at Blues Alley on 3rd January 1996 - this was recorded in one take with no over dubbing or technical camouflaging.This concert was truly amazing and I would have given anything to be there live to witness Eva and her very talented band perform all those wonderful songs but I like the rest of the world was not even aware of her existence.Eva never wanted to be a star she just loved singing and she had an incredible vocal range with which she was able to put her own stamp on classic songs such as Ain't No Sunshine , Honey Suckle Rose , Bridge Over Troubled Water , Chain Of Fools and Cheek to Cheek making these versions her very own.From the gentle and georgous melodies of Fields Of Gold and Autumn Leaves to the rockiness of Take Me To The River Eva was truly eclectic in a musical sense and never wanted to be pigeon holed as a singer of one particular genre.Eva could sing the blues just listen to her version of Stormy Monday and you will understand.She could also sing in a jazz mode as witnessed by her stunning version of Route 66 not to mention classic pop songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water and her beautiful original arrangement of the timeless classic Somewhere Over The Rainbow a version so filled with Eva's emotion that if you do have a heartbeat it will bring a tear or more to your eye.The DVD is good considering that filming in a small venue is always difficult and you sort of get the feeling that Eva was on this night was at her musical peak.Who knows what she would be singing now if not for her untimely death from an skin cancer.Anyway I would thoroughly recommend to any lover of truly wonderful music to buy this excellent 3 disc set as it truly is amazing and Eva on the very night of this concert has left an indelible stamp not only on the music world but on many generations to come for Eva was truly gifted with a "Once in a Lifetime" voice - May God Bless Her!!!!

must have for audiophiles

First, READ the description! "Deluxe three disc (two CDs + PAL |Region 0 DVD) release". The DVD is PAL NOT NTSC, that means it is not going to play in most DVD players in the Western Hemisphere. However you can get converter software for your computer and DVD Writer and make your own NTSC formatted DVD, for personal use.Now on to the album. It is pure inspiration, pure beauty, overshadowed by a perpetual sense of sadness, knowing this gem of a person was lost so tragically and so young. What she lacked in musician virtuosity she more than made up with honesty and mastery of her voice. I'm a 50+ y.o. man and I fight back tears every time I listen. Sure you can get all the songs on youtube for free, but I wanted to contribute to her estate if one existed so her daughter could benefit in a small way having lost her momma. Plus I wanted the DVD, even if I did have to convert it myself to listen in the USA.

i prefer the sound from vinyl, digital high res sounds to bright

I love Eva's music and bought this as a CD but did not realize a DVD of her perfomances were included. Happy about that. I tried to play the DVD on my player and kept getting a "disc error." Have not been able to watch this angel doing her music at Blues Alley. Distributor: Please let people know you can't watch her DVD when customers order this set. Really, really, really pissed off. /B

One of the best vinyls I have. It’s a must own that sounds significantly better on vinyl than digital. I took one star away because the album came with a few defects on 1 of the 8 sides. My hope is I can get a cleaning kit and fix it but unsure due to the nature of one of the defects.

Great recording. Gone way too early in life. Her talents are amazing.

This is pure class, by a sadly missed artiste who's life was cut tragicly short,I found this by accident whilst looking for another cd of hers. I have always admired her voice, powerful & also very tender, the dvd is marvellous very basic & not the best quality, but my oh my!! what a band behind her its the fastest 56mins Ive watched in a long time.I honestly wish some of today's so called "singers" would sit down & watch this small gig concert, they might learn a thing or two.I love most kinds of music my favourite is 1950's rock & roll, boogie woogie, funny enough but Eva for me is/was one of the best.What a great package for the price!!

This = much expanded content/tracks as against the 'Live At Blues Alley' release (which was released many years before). Simply, it's stunning, with Eva and the band running through many different musical styles and themes, all of which her voice carries so well. The power and energy of the live performances comes through in spades. The CD (with DVD) is a steal. For me this is the definitive Eva album.The quality of reproduction is also improved as against LABA. If you appreciate high quality female vocal and a variety of musical styles, this is a must to have.Eva's covers of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Fields of Gold' elevate these songs to new levels (esp FoG), to name but 2 from the list.

One of the best live albums i have EVER heard her voice is so full of emotion & feeling. Its a shame most of her albums "double up on the songs. If you buy one of her albums you are going to get some of the same recordings again. I personally dont mind this as i love all her work. One exeption is "Wayfaring Stranger" there are 2 versions the one on "Songbird has a backing band whilst the version on "Simply Eva" is just Eva with her acoustic guitar. This is the one i prefer. One more point many people have said they have trouble getting the C/Ds out of the packaging. All you need do is squeeze the edges of the cover & the records just slide out.

What can I say? Eva Cassidy's voice, musicality and sheer talent shines out on this album.There are no weaker filler tracks - each one is a classic. It's a live performance, done in one take, so the occasional fluff or dropped line is part of it - if you have never performed live, don't presume to judge.The bits where she talks to the audience between numbers show an endearing clumsiness when out of her comfort zone, which is performing - her entire focus is on the music, not being a star, or a celebrity.As per the headline - this is one of those albums that everyone should hear at least once, and preferably own, to listen to over and over again.

Having already got and loved Live at Blues Alley (which unfortunately I can’t find on vinyl) I bought this. What an amazing album and a reminder of what a talent the music world lost at such a young age. Her vocals are incredible - the range and power - and band is really tight and sound fabulous. The sound quality is excellent on vinyl (note it is a quadruple album so each side is quite short) with a full bass and clear a crisp highs - incredible to think this is a single take of the entire gig with no post production over-dubbing. It’s a real gem and anyone who enjoys blues and jazz should listen to this - in fact anyone who loves or plays live music needs to listen to hear how it should be done!