''American Tune'' is an album of rehearsal tapes and live recordings by American singer
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her first albu ...
, released in 2003, seven years after her death in 1996. It was her second album of mainly live material and her third posthumous album. ''American Tune'' spent five weeks on the U.S.
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
Top 200, and was a
UK number one album.
Reception
Writing for ''
Sing Out!
''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960.
Background
''Sing Out ...
'' magazine, Jamie Anderson calls every song on the album "a gem...either remaining true to the original song or presenting the piece in a new way without syrupy trappings".
[Anderson, Jamie. "Eva Cassidy American Tune." Sing Out! Spring 2004: 140.]
Track listing
# "
Drowning in the Sea of Love
"Drowning in the Sea of Love" is a 1971 song recorded by Joe Simon for Spring Records. It was the title track of his seventh LP, and was the first release from the album. The song was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
Chart performance
The ...
"
ive(
Kenneth Gamble
Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...
,
Leon Huff
Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...
) – 4:19
# "
True Colors"
ive(
Thomas Kelly,
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield Steinberg (born February 26, 1950) is an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly; together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits " Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984), ...
) – 4:50
# "
The Water Is Wide"
ive(Traditional) – 4:20
# "
Hallelujah I Love Him So" (
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
) – 2:33
# "
God Bless the Child"
ive(
Arthur Herzog Jr.
Arthur Herzog Jr. (December 13, 1900 in New York City – September 1, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan) was a songwriter and composer.
Career
Herzog was most known for work with Billie Holiday. He co-wrote several jazz
Jazz is a music genre tha ...
,
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...
) – 5:17
# "Dark Eyed Molly"
ive(Archie Fisher) – 3:28
# "
American Tune
"American Tune" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the third single from his third studio album, ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song, a meditation on the American experience, ...
"
ive(
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
) – 4:06
# "
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills. It is now accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophe ...
"
ive(
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
,
Irving Mills
Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was an American music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz artist promoter. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose.
Personal
Mills was ...
) – 2:23
# "
Yesterday" (
Lennon–McCartney
Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...
) – 3:09
# "You Take My Breath Away"
ive(
Claire Hamill
Josephine Claire Hamill (born 4 August 1954) is an English singer-songwriter. In addition to her solo career, she has collaborated with Wishbone Ash and Yes's Steve Howe.
Life and career
Claire Hamill was born in Port Clarence, County Durham ...
) – 5:39
Personnel
* Eva Cassidy – guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals
* Chris Biondo – bass
* Jimmy Campbell – drums
* Dan Cassidy – violin
* Keith Grimes – electric guitar
* Marcy Marxer –
bouzouki
The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...
, guitar,
tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...
* Raice McLeod – drums
* Bruno Nasta – violin
* Lenny Williams – organ, piano
Production
* Producer: Chris Biondo
* Engineers: Chris Biondo, Cathy Fink, Bryan McCulley
* Mastering: Robert Vosgien
* Technical assistance: Brian Grant
* Arranger: Eva Cassidy
* Overdubs:
Marcy Marxer, Geoff Gillette
* Sequencing: Bill Straw
* Design: Eileen White
* Photography: Chris Biondo
* Drawing: Eva Cassidy
* Liner notes: Martin Jennings
* Compilation: Bill Straw
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Eva Cassidy albums
2003 live albums
Live albums published posthumously