News

The Best Of Eva Cassidy – Commemorative Release

• 15th Oct 2012

On the eve of what would have been Eva Cassidy’s 50th birthday, Blix Street Records announce the release of ‘The Best of Eva Cassidy’, a definitive new collection of 20 of the late singers best-loved and most acclaimed songs. Having achieved three UK No.1 albums, a UK No.1 duet single, and with global sales now in excess of 10 million, this is the first time the cream of Eva’s repertoire has appeared together.

On the 17th of September 1996 a young woman, accompanied by a few dozen family and friends, attended her own tribute concert in a small club in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Transcending the effects of chemotherapy and morphine in that moment, the singer abandoned her walker and was helped onto the stage for what would be her final performance, What a Wonderful World. A few weeks later Eva Cassidy passed away, having been diagnosed with melanoma months earlier. Refusing to bend her music to the industry’s conventions and expectations, Eva was known only within the DC area during her lifetime. She left behind one live album, a duet album, and various studio demos and live recordings. In these intervening 16 years, Eva’s music has proven timeless and universal. Crossing all boundaries – musical, cultural, geographical – her voice survived and is finding new listeners every day in every corner of the earth. These 20 defining performances document Eva Cassidy’s musical legacy for the ages.

The lead track of the album is a previously unreleased version of Claire Hamill’s delicately intimate, yet stirring love song You Take My Breath Away. While a 1993 ‘demo’ version of the song concluded Eva’s American Tune album this previously unheard recording was one of several work in progress tracks at the time of her passing in 1996. Delivered by a more musically evolved and confident Eva, her flawless vocal performance reaches a new level. With the aide of new digital technologies Eva’s former band mates Chris Biondo and Lenny Williams recently set to work sonically enhancing Eva’s original guitar/vocal studio recording. After maximizing the sound quality of Eva’s vocal tour de force, the two augmented the production with piano, double bass and a string quartet, creating the definitive version of what’s certain to become one of Eva’s best-loved performances.