Nina Simone Anthologized

If Verve’s recently released four-CD collection of late singer Nina Simone’s sides for the Philips label is altogether too much for you, consider RCA/BMG Heritage’s Nina Simone: Anthology, a two-disc collection of the singer’s songs that includes cuts from the Verve set.

While the Verve box only contained tunes Simone recorded in the 1960s (a great period for the singer, no doubt), Anthology draws from Simone’s entire career, including songs she recorded for her first label, Bethlehem, and tracks from her 1993 album on Elektra, A Single Woman. The new set has one unreleased cut, “The Glory of Love,” a tune penned by William Hill that Simone recorded in 1967 while Simone was under contract with RCA. Danny Davis, who was overseeing much of Simone’s work at the time, produced the track and the music was arranged and conducted by Jimmy Wisner.

Nina Simone: Anthology has liner notes by David Nathan, author of The Soulful Divas and should be on your local CD shop’s shelves right now.

Track list:

DISC ONE

I LOVES YOU, PORGY

MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME

THE OTHER WOMAN

BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR

NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN AND OUT

TROUBLE IN MIND

MISSISSIPPI GODDAM

SEE LINE WOMAN

DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

NE ME QUITTE PAS

STRANGE FRUIT

SINNERMAN

FOUR WOMEN

DO I MOVE YOU?

DISC TWO

I WANT A LITTLE SUGAR IN MY BOWL

I WISH I KNEW HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO BE FREE

THE GLORY OF LOVE (previously unreleased)

TO LOVE SOMEBODY

DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO

AIN’T GOT NO – I GOT LIFE

WHY? (THE KING OF LOVE IS DEAD)

EVERYONE’S GONE TO THE MOON

REVOLUTION

TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK

WHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIME GOES

HERE COMES THE SUN

JUST LIKE A WOMAN

FUNKIER THAN A MOSQUITO’S TWEETER

RICH GIRL

A SINGLE WOMAN

Originally Published July 8, 2003