What people search:
 | Title : Belly of the Sun
Author : Wilson, Cassandra
Release Date : 20020326
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.49
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Editorial Reviews :
By now, it's a moot point whether Cassandra Wilson is singing jazz or not. By unifying what were once considered disparate styles and song forms with her languorously rich vocals and offbeat instrumental textures, she has become the queen of her own genre. Largely recorded at a one-time train station in her native Mississippi, Belly of the Sun ranges from country-blues great Fred McDowell's gritty 'You Gotta Move' (popularized by the Rolling Stones and here featuring acoustic-guitar wiz Richard Johnston) to Brazilian immortal Antonio Carlos Jobim's winsome 'Waters of March' (featuring a children's choir) to a hauntingly feminized version of Jimmy Webb's 'Wichita Lineman.' Revealing her command of narrative material, Wilson draws seductive meaning from Bob Dylan's 'Shelter from the Storm' and the Band's 'The Weight.' Featuring Kevin Breit and Marvin Sewell on all manner of guitars and related string instruments, Belly of the Sun also boasts three strong Wilson originals, including 'Just Another Parade,' a jazzy-soulful duet with India Arie, and 'Show Me a Love.' As her own producer, Wilson comes up with less compelling backgrounds than Craig Street, who produced her darker-tinged breakthrough albums. Still, this is her most seamless, smoothest-flowing, and most effortlessly expansive recording. 'I need to feel some rich black soil that's moist between my toes,' she sings. You can feel her Southern roots in the grooves as well.
Buyer Reviews :
This album, more than any of hers, demonstrates how unclassifiable Cassandra Wilson's music has become. Certainly not pop, but not quite jazz either. While this slow move of hers may draw its crowd of detractors, all you need to do is hear this album to see what's going on. With a voice and musicianship such as hers, she transcends genres. It's great music, pure and simple.
The opening cut, a cover of The Band's classic 'The Weight,' is a prime example. Over a lush foundation of music created by her stellar back-up band, Cassandra Wilson does more than simply sing a beautiful song: she tells a story. She has such an incredible ability to combine speaking with singing in such a tasteful and seamless manner, that switching between the two makes perfect sense - I can't even imagine the song sounding any other way. She has equal success on the Bob Dylan cover 'Shelter From the Storm.'
Not only is her singing great, but she demonstrates her powers as a songwriter and also as a duet partner, most notably on her original 'Just Another Parade' (a duet with India Arie). The two voices blend beautifully, and the song is just plain wonderful.
I'm not sure how one could ever find this album boring. Yes, it's all very laid-back, groovy, and beautiful. However, it's not homogenous in sound - she's much too brilliant to let that happen.
(by jimmy cello)
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