Simone had long since departed the Colpix label by the time of the 1966 release of this record.
That accounts for its pasted-together contents, which combined some previously unreleased material with tracks with strings.
Actually, not all of the selections had strings, which yielded a pretty misleading album title.
That technicality isn't really important.
This is not the Nina Simone record to start with, but if you like Simone enough to seek out a lot of her albums, there's some worthwhile music here, even if the programming isn't so smooth.
The production is uneven, sometimes with the kind of strange echo and imbalance that makes the music sound as if it was recorded in a dressing room.
Although Simone sings well on every take, the standards are outshone by the earthier tunes, like "Chain Gang (The Work Song)." Certainly the best number is "Blackbird," with its creepy bass and percussive slaps the only accompaniment for Simone's magnificent spiritual vocal.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Loves You Porgy | Nina Simone | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Blackbird | Nina Simone | Play | 02:01 | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| 3 | Baubles, Bangles and Beads | Nina Simone | Play | 02:03 | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| 4 | That's All | Nina Simone | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 9 MB |
| 5 | Chain Gang (The Work Song) | Nina Simone | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 6 | The Man With the Horn | Nina Simone | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 13 MB |
| 7 | Porgy, I Is Your Woman (Bess, You Is My Woman) | Nina Simone | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 11 MB |
| 8 | Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer) | Nina Simone | Play | 02:04 | 4 MB | 10 MB |
| 9 | Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It) | Nina Simone | Play | 02:34 | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| 10 | Spring is Here | Nina Simone | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 26 mins | 61 MB | |||||
| 26 mins | 110 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nina Simone | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |