Cassandra Wilson has steadfastly refused to be pigeonholed or confined to any stylistic formula. Her highly anticipated Blue Note debut may stir renewed controversy, as she is once again all over the place. She begins the set with her intriguing version of "You Don't Know What Love Is." Then she moves from two Robert Johnson covers ("Come on in My Kitchen" and "Hellhound on My Trail") through rock compositions from Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell, her own title track, blues cut "Redbone," and a piercing version of "I Can't Stand the Rain" that can hold up to comparisons with Ann Peebles' classic. She doesn't have Johnson's menacing quality (who does?), but does invoke an equally compelling air. Wilson has great timing, pacing, and delivery, and certainly has blues sensibility in her sound.
Cassandra Wilson is a postmodern jazz singer, a conceptualist who sees no dividing lines between genres. If her career had commenced in the 1970s rather than the label-conscious 1990s she would have been marketed as a mainstream pop diva. Her magnificent voice and interpretive genius mark her as a jazz singer for the ages, however. She finds her material wherever her fancy takes her and remakes it in her own image, whether it be the country blues of Robert Johnson's "Come On in My Kitchen" and "Hellhound On My Trail," the soul of Ann Peebles's "I Can't Stand the Rain," the elegant R&B of Charles Brown's "Tell Me You'll Wait for Me," the melodic pop of Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow," and Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," or her own "Redbone"--and the title track, accompanied by steel guitarist Gib Wharton. --John Swenson
Track listing
"You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene DePaul, Don Raye) — 6:05
"Come On In My Kitchen" (Robert Johnson) — 4:53
"Tell Me You'll Wait For Me" (Charles Brown, Oscar Moore) — 4:48
"Children Of The Night" (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) — 5:19
"Hellhound on My Trail" (Johnson) — 4:34
"Black Crow" (Joni Mitchell) — 4:38
"Sankofa" (Cassandra Wilson) — 2:02
"Estrellas" (Cyro Baptista) — 1:59
"Redbone" (Wilson) — 5:35
"Tupelo Honey" (Van Morrison) — 5:36
"Blue Light 'til Dawn" (Wilson) — 5:09
"I Can't Stand the Rain" (Don Bryant, Bernard Miller, Ann Peebles) — 5:27
Personnel
Cassandra Wilson – vocal
Olu Dara – cornet
Don Byron – clarinet
Charlie Burnham – violin, mandocello
Tony Cedras – accordion
Brandon Ross, Chris Whitley – guitar
Gib Wharton – pedal steel guitar
Kenny Davis, Lonnie Plaxico – bass
Lance Carter, Kevin Johnson, Bill McClellan, Jeff Haynes, Cyro Baptista, Cyro – percussion
