Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Remarkable
What a voice... At times she evokes the great Sandy Denny with a small vocal nuance, sometimes she sounds like a great jazz diva from the 30s. But always Eva. A remarkable voice that got no real attention while she lived (while scads of talentless boy and teen bands are hyped to death, don't get me started).Starting with a lovely version of Paul Simon's Kathy's Song that leaves out the self-pitying middle verses, this album is one great vocal performance stacked on another until the final, gospel-tinged Way Beyond the Blue. There are standouts along the way, including a smoky Ain't No Sunshine and Time After Time. There are other songs that are not great, but are made better by the vocal treat that is this amazing voice. The tracks never mesh into a single album, though, as the jazz of Time After Time veers oddly into the country of Penny To My name and the varying recording qualities are obvious from track to track. The album is worth having (hell, get anything you can by this amazing artist), but it's not the place to start an Eva Cassidy collection. Get Live at Blues Alley (oh, what a wonder that one is). Get Songbird (which repeats parts of Blues Alley, but has some real standouts from other sources). Then get this to listen to when you've played those two to death.
Rating: - Thank You Blix Street
Thank you Blix Street for helping to keep Eva Cassidy's music alive. What a refreshing contrast to the cookie cutter sounds of so much of today's popular music. It is no accident that the recordings of an artist who was virtually unknown outside the Washington DC area until after her untimely death manage to outsell those of many more noted acts and far more hyped acts. Although not as broadly eclectic as the Songbird compilation, Time After Time once again showcases Eva's astonishing ability to not merely sing in a nearly incomprehensible range of musical styles but to breathe new life into the familiar and make the listener hear a song in an entirely new way. From her opening cover of Paul Simon's Kathy's Song to Cyndi Lauper's title cut to Harlan Howard's anthem to single girls Eva touches our souls like few singers did. And I have neglected to mention her readings of traditional tunes like "I Wandered By A Brookside" or the way she reinvents "Woodstock" or the old Harry Warren chestnut "At Last". I could list every song on the CD because every song has something new to say when Eva sings it. One warning to prospective buyers - Eva is addictive. Buy this CD and you'll find yourself buying more.
Rating: - Another classic from a lost treasure
Eva Cassidy was a true original, with a warm, emotional voice that she could wrap around any kind of music - jazz, pop, folk, blues, gospel, you name it. On this CD, she moves seamlessly from the sixties folk of "Kathy's Song", to the sophistocated "At Last"; from a haunting cover of Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time", to the quintessential Joni Mitchell anthem, "Woodstock". Each is different, and she makes each uniquely her own. Cassidy had an uncanny way of achieving an astounding level of intimacy with her listeners. You'll feel that she's singing each story just for you. Only one cut on the CD, the Boxtops' "The Letter", is unsuccessful, but this rare misstep does not significantly detract from the overall quality of the album.If you've never heard Eva Cassidy's music, you're missing something special. As marvelous as this CD is, the earlier "Eva By Heart" is even better. And on "Live At Blues Alley", she accomplishes the impossible; she sings "Over the Rainbow" as well as, if not better than, Judy Garland. On that same CD, her rendition of Sting's "Fields of Gold" will leave you breathless. Buy "Time After Time" now, and make it the first in what will certainly be a collection of CD's by a most extraordinary artist.
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