Live at Blues Alley

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's difficult not to feel jealous of the audience who were present for these shows at the Blues Alley club in January, 1996. Eva Cassidy's voice has the soul of Aretha Franklin, the smoky melancholy of Billie Holiday, the raw passion of Janis Joplin all rolled into one--and she'll never make another record. Later that same year she died of cancer, leaving behind a painfully small recorded legacy to be discovered belatedly and posthumously by the rest of the world. But those fortunate few in the Blues Alley club knew the secret long before. Thankfully, producer, mentor and (for a time) boyfriend Chris Biondo had the foresight to record Eva Cassidy for--as things turned out--posterity. So, imagine yourself in a dark corner of that tiny club and let the woman with the guitar and the extraordinary voice serenade you. The set consists of standards, mostly jazz--alternately bluesy and torchy--but with a sprinkling of folk ballads that she sings with haunting delicacy (Sting's "Fields Of Gold" being the stand out track). Perfectionist that she was, Cassidy refused to let this album be released unless a studio track--Pete Seeger's "Oh, Had I A Golden Thread"--was also included. But every track is a polished jewel in her hands: the limpid beauty of Johnny Mercer's evergreen "Autumn Leaves", the swinging blues of Billie Holiday's "Fine And Mellow", the uptempo soul of Al Green's "Take Me To The River". There are only four albums featuring Eva Cassidy, and one of those is a compilation of the other three, so for anyone who is haunted by her voice, Live At Blues Alley is a must-have. --Mark Walker

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Customer reviews

review by: Books Fuel My Life date: 2008-08-22 rating:
The Best of the Best
I was heartbroken to hear that Eva Cassidy herself considered Live at Blues Alley to be a lesser work. I think it is her best album and it is the one I reach for first when I need an "Eva Fix." Each song is an individual treasure, and together, they form artistry that continues to make me mourn the loss of one of the 20th Century's finest voices, and people.

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review by: date: 2004-03-08 rating:
fantastic
This is without a doubt my favourite album in the world. I fell in love with it the minute i heard it and was blown away (as always) with eva's amazing voice.
This album really does make you wish you could have been there listening to her live.
Everyone i play this album to is equally amazed and i am spreading the Eva fan club more and more every day!
Buy it.

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review by: date: 2004-02-11 rating:
Fantastic
Amazing, i could listen to this album over and over and over. I listened to it for the first time yesterday and was completely blown away. Eva's version of 'Bridge over Troubled Water' is fantastic and left shivers down my spine. The whole album sends you to another place leaving you with an amazing feeling.

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review by: date: 2003-09-09 rating:
Blues Skies shining on ME !!!
"Live at Blues Alley" is the essential Eva album! If you are yet to discover her, this is the best place to start, because it features the unedited versions of "fields of gold" and "people get ready".

What I love most about this album is her outstanding versions of "Blues Skies" and "Cheek to Cheek". She makes them her own.

The haunting " Tall Trees of Georgia" will send shivers right up your spine. And the inclusion of the studio track "Oh, had I a golden thread" is pure gold. I love this song, and it highlights her vocal range so beautifully that it makes me tearful every time.

And yes, I am envious of anyone who actually saw this concert in 1996.


review by: date: 2003-08-23 rating:
IMHO this one is better than "Songbird"
This is a fabuous album; better even than "Songbird". I know Eva didn't want it released and that she had a cold but WOW it really is a brilliant album, great voice, great band, great arrangements.

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