FROM JONATHAN IN MASSACHUSETTS: 'I really love the new album. I must admit that it isn't quite as grabbing as "Songbird", which really features Eva's absolute best tracks, one after the other, one more stunning than the next. "Time After Time" is truly a beautiful album-- it just takes a bit more to grow on you, and it is a bit mellower than her other stuff. I really like Eva's material when she really belts or holds a high note, and most of the material on "Time" is more folkie. But I do love it! Her rendition of "Ain't No Sunshine" is so deeply soulful. The title track is very lovely, and the most beautiful I think is the "Anniversary Song". They really did a phenomenal job with the instumentation on that one with the strings, but most beautifully when she sings "as you play your piano," and the piano joins in. I also really like "Easy Street Dream" and "Penny to my Name." Eva has a pretty cool country accent (AKA "...Billy suckin' down the booze, nearly every night..."). Her talents appear to have been boundless; was there anything creative that she couldn't do??? "Way Beyond the Blue" is also neat, as it shows another side of her talent with the a cappella arrangement-- although I remember you saying you thought it was a mistake. My mother really likes "At Last." She has heard me play Eva many times and bought "Songbird", and told me that "At Last" is her favorite song by Eva. All in all, it looks like the reaction around the world is excellent.'
FROM HYWEL IN WALES: 'Now had time to have a good listen to the album, as expected it's absolutely brilliant.
I don't know what it is about Eva's presentation but she is about the only artist I've ever come across that can put a whole different and usually better interpretation on a song than the original artist. This was evident on previous CD's especially with things like "Oh Had I a Golden Thread" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" to name just two, but she's done it again, especially on "Ain't no Sunshine" and Time After Time".
This interpretation is reflected in a lot of other places, my musical tastes are pretty catholic, but normally I can't stand Country and Western, but I love Penny to my Name. As for the country blues feel of I wish I was a Single Girl Again, well I've always loved that sound as well as the "harder" R&B sound of Easy Street Dream. I think she must have been a bit of a rocker as well 'cos the only other version of The Letter I've heard that comes close is the Joe Cocker version, and that was made with a much bigger band etc.
Another genre which I wouldn't count amongst my favourites is the Celtic folk sound, but again the track I Wandered by A Brookside almost had me in tears (what am I saying almost, it did, but I have to think of my macho image) with its vocal clarity and its incredible guitar and probably most of all the words. Woodstock Anniversary Song and Kathy's song are again particularly poignant, with Eva unaccompanied except for her own acoustic playing. And last but not least she's done it again with a gospel song in Way Beyond the Blue.
I think that these tracks many of which are without the band are in some way more evocative than those with the band (mind you the band are great and musically sympathetic to Eva's style).
I only have one regret about all 5 CD's and that is that the audiences at the live sessions was so small, if the applause is anything to go by. These sessions should have been to a packed Carnegie Hall at least, or even bigger if there is such a venue. They are WORLD CLASS in every sense of the word.'
FROM BILL T. (who couldn't wait for the US release and ordered the CD from the UK): "I'm a relative newcomer to Eva Cassidy's story, having discovered it only this year. I was instantly captivated by the music and the person behind it. I love music but had never been moved like this before. I learned that in her lifetime Eva made only three major albums, one where Chuck Brown got top billing but Eva completely stole the show, one live album that she hated, and one work in progress which was completed after her death. I listened to all these albums closely, was blown away, and of course was sad to realize that they would be the last. Very powerful and moving stuff.
Then...surprise! There would be an encore. Like any devoted fan, I was hungry for more but was also apprehensive that the good material had already been released and the new album could do Eva a disservice. Well, this is certainly not the case, in fact in many ways Time After Time is the best album yet. It's mind boggling that so much wonderful material could have been just sitting around.
Again, Eva shows us many facets of her music. I'm particularly impressed by her guitar work which is showcased here more than on the other albums. She is quite innovative and has a perfect sense of what is needed to accompany her vocals. Her technique is understated so it took me a few playings to catch on to the virtuosity. Its clean, bright, subtly complex and very pretty. I'm convinced that Eva could do anything musical if she had the slightest inclination. As usual there is a wide range of material spanning folk, jazz, country, and gospel themes, always with Eva's own unique interpretations. Of course the vocals are amazing with perfect intonation, phrasing, and pitch combined with plenty of raw emotion.
Favorite song? I have no idea. I like everything on this album which is rare for me. I've grown particularly fond of the simple arrangements featuring just Eva and her guitar so Time After Time and Kathy's Song really stick in my head. Roger Henderson's Penny To My Name is a wonderful country song and Eva's moving interpretation paints a vivid picture of the story. Ain't No Sunshine from the Blues Alley session is simply brilliant and is quite a twist on the original Bill Withers version. One thing I notice about Eva's music is that just when I think I've settled on a favorite, something else creeps into the foreground and takes over.
Everyone involved in the production of this album should be very proud. Time After Time is another work of art by one of the great musicians of our time and her close friends. Listen to it carefully, and cherish it. Help other people learn about Eva."
FROM DAVID P.: "I am generally not a person who has to have a new cd the day it comes out, however after owning the other 4 Eva cds, and listening to some of the new songs on the Bob Harris show on Radio 2, I just had to have it straight away. Having now played it more times than I can count it's just oustanding, it just grieves me that Eva is no longer with us. If I was on a desert island and I could only have my portable cd player and limited cds, the cds would have to be Eva's. I only hope now that the new cd gets recognition in the charts because I am sure there are millions of people of all age groups out there who are missing out."
FROM PAUL Y.: "After many listenings (probably into double figures - it's hardly been out of the CD player!) over three days, I think I would have to say my favourite tracks on Eva's new album are Time After Time (no surprise there!), At Last and I Wandered By a Brookside, with honourable mentions to Kathy's Song and Easy Street Dream. I must also say that the band has never sounded better, especially Lenny's exquisite piano part on Ain't No Sunshine.
The cover and booklet are pretty good. It would have been nice to have had lyrics included, but I guess that involves a lot of copyright negotiations when there are songs by several different writers. In any case, the clarity of Eva's tone and diction mean it's always easy to hear what she sings anyway.
Most singers would give their right arm to release an album like it - incredible that it's put together from "left-overs"! It's always a pleasure buying a new album by a favourite artist, which Eva has very quickly become, but the pleasure in this case is even greater since I never expected there would be another album. I was down at my local branch of MVC (a fair-sized music and video chain over here) first thing on Monday morning and was pleased to see it prominently displayed among the new releases."
FROM SIMON F.: "I got my copy of the album yesterday (May 22) direct from amazon.co.uk and it is wonderful. I was mildly disappointed that Eva omitted several verses from 'Kathy's Song', but on a second and third listening I paid more attention to the guitar work and re-assessed my initial view. It is a nice aperatif for the tracks that follow. The best sequence of tracks for me is easily 'Time After Time' (beautiful), 'Penny To My Name' (a song I was singing along to by the third chorus) and 'I Wandered By A Brookside' (very poignant, especially after hearing Eva's mother speak of her daughter's love of nature on the Radio2 tribute; and in view of the spiritual thread that runs through much of Eva's recordings). There is no doubt in my mind that all these recordings will become treasured just as much as the tracks on other releases. My favouite track has to be 'Anniversary Song', although I must add that it does not do Eva's talent justice to listen to any one track in isolation - the thing to do is just put the CD on and be transported out of your present circumstances for 40 minutes. A welcome addition to a sadly small collection of gems." [I replied to Simon, 'Regarding the very short version of Kathy's Song, don't hold it against Eva, she wasn't recording it for an album! That's taken from a tape she made at Chris Biondo's studio one day, probably just for self-critiquing. The tape has a bunch of short versions of folkie-type songs that she performed for her non-band engagements. My guess is that she made the tape, copied it onto cassette to listen to in the car, Chris B. filed it somewhere, and nobody thought about it again until after Eva's death.... I won't know until I get the album, but probably "Single Girl Again" is from that same day, also "I Wandered By A Brookside."']
FROM DEB : "Well we waited in eager anticipation, and survived many release dates, but our patience was rewarded today with Eva's beautiful new album. The first thing that struck me was the beautiful drawings/paintings on the sleeve, and I was moved when reading the sleeve notes to read that they were Eva's - I felt we were able to get to know another side of her just a little more through her art. I hope that we will be able to see more of this through some other avenue in the future.
Anyway - to the music, I am not a great music critic, and do not feel adequately qualified to comment on music in general, but I know what I like, and what moves me - and Eva's music certainly does that. I have been listening to 'time after time' for a few weeks now on the radio, and tape, and it is outstanding and poignant, I think it has to be my favourite track on the CD, closely followed by Anniversary song. The whole album seems very 'rounded out, feeling-wise', and as usual brought tears to my eyes - especially when ain't no sunshine played. The way many of us feel having discovered such a rare and beautiful sound - only to know it's gone. Over the rainbow was the first track of Eva's I ever listened to -I was sat down by a friend and told 'listen to this' I will never forget that moment when I first heard her clear beautiful tones, but It is wonderful to have these lovely new tracks to listen to and become aquatinted with - like old friends they offer comfort, and cheer you when you need them too."
FROM ROB H.: My copy of Time After Time arrived the other day and it was well worth the wait.Absolutely stunning songs.Stand out tracks are 'Penny To My Name' with Eva's brother Dan on fiddle,very country,'I wandered By A Brookside' very folky and 'Kathy's Song' where Eva proves herself to be an excellent guitar player as well as an excellent singer and painter. Was there no end to her talents!Reading the booklet it appears there are other tracks out there waiting to be released,if the band songlist is anything to go by. Let's hope it's soon! A stunning album.
For additional information about the album TIME AFTER TIME, visit this page.
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