Nina Simone – Pastel Blues

Nina Simone never allowed herself to be confined by genre categories, and this 1965 release demonstrates the full, terrifying breadth of her musical authority. Backed by sparse acoustic piano, drums, bass and guitar, she transforms Strange Fruit into an unsparing, gut-wrenching reckoning before unleashing Sinnerman, a ten-minute spiritual storm of syncopated handclaps and rapid-fire piano arpeggios that builds to feverish intensity. Simone's rich contralto conveys emotional truth with a raw directness that still leaves listeners stunned.