CD REVIEW

EVA CASSIDY

NIGHTBIRD

This new collection of the late American singer includes eight previously unheard songs.

Recorded at the Blues Alley jazz club in Georgetown, D.C, these 31 live tracks have been remastered - and they sound like a masterclass in live performance.

Whilst many would associate Cassidy with slow, tear-soaked numbers like Songbird and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, this album has a large number of up-tempo tracks.

The raw growl of her vocals in Next Time You See Me contrasts alluringly with the heart-breaking delicate version of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

And if you thought Songbird by Eva Cassidy was a classic, you haven't heard nothing until you've heard Nightbird.

You're bound to have heard a few of these songs before, probably on Radio 2, but this is more than a collection for a fan.

It's an immersive live experience that is sure to bring even more people to Cassidy's superb - but so sadly - small body of work.

JOANNA DAVIS