I first discovered Eva Cassidy while watching television. It was 10:30 pm and the ABC program Nightline appeared as I was channel surfing. Thinking that Nightline would feature political news stories, I was surprised that they were presenting an encore of the life story of Eva Cassidy. Hypnotized by her beautiful voice on such songs as "Over The Rainbow," (which still brings tears to my eyes, where her voice is so tender, angelic, and beautiful), "People Get Ready" and "What A Wonderful World." It was so sad to learn that she had passed away just as her career was just beginning to attract attention.
Time After Time, released in 2000, features mostly cover
tunes, and each song is handcrafted musically and vocally to the
extent that Eva's voice is easily blended with the styles of adult
contemporary, blues, soul, jazz, folk, country. Relaxing and
beautiful best describes the album's opener, written by Paul Simon
-- "Kathy's Song," as Cassidy's version is just as beautiful as
when it was first recorded by Simon & Garfunkel.
With enough grit to handle soul and blues, her versions of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and Joe Cocker's remake of the Box Tops' "The Letter" easily tells the listener that Eva Cassidy is a top contender with her fellow blues singers, both male and female. "I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" has more of a blues edge, and her voice is truly remarkable. Likewise, another great blues number, is "Easy Street Dream," where her voice is again outstanding. Showing more of a soul side, her version of the Etta James' classic "At Last" is truly beautiful.
Showcasing the accoustic guitar and Eva Cassidy's beautiful voice, we could easily imagine an Unplugged session with such songs as Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," "I Wandered By A Brookside," and Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock." The musical orchestration is also a standout with Cassidy's voice on "Anniversary Song." Folk and Country are the best description for "Penny To My Name," and the accapella gospel is just incredible on "Way Beyond The Blue," which features true church gospel vocals, with no musical instruments, just harmonic voices and handclaps.
It still brings tears to my eyes on how beautiful Cassidy's voice was, and how young she passed away. She could sing practically any type of music there is. Hearing songs from this album, you could easily imagine future releases, such as a tribute to Bob Dylan, or an entire album of gospel music. Given time, Eva Cassidy would have easily attracted more fans in any style of music because she was such a versatile performer. With only a handful of releases before her untimely death, we can only enjoy these, and posthumous releases, and cherish the memories of her beautiful voice in any style of music.
If you've never heard of Eva Cassidy, any album of hers is recommended. Her greatest hits collection Songbird may be a good start, but it's best to hear every recording she made with her original studio releases. Time After Time is a wonderful album, and after spending time listening to this release you'll want to hear more of her music. Eva Cassidy was a great singer, and somewhere in the heavens, the angels are smiling, entertained by her angelic voice. Thank you, Eva, for sharing your beautiful voice with us.