So Bad.
I had to post another Nina Simone song coming off of the last one, because it has that same soft quality that Nina does so well. First off Nina’s version of, “I’ve Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good” (originally a Duke Ellington tune), once again shows that Nina is a great pianist!
The song starts like a light breeze and the drums and bass fall in so nicely to her gentle voice. The background vocals and strings of this song are really cool too. They interject underneath her voice and piano with a calm lull and swell up at all the right moments - I think they give it a very Ray Charles-like quality (especially the ending).
Another quality of her voice that I love is her vibrato. She can go from this steady, pulsing vibrato and then the very next line switch to a rapid, jaunty vibrato. Listen for this contrast when she sings, “And when the weekend is over, and Monday rolls around.”
When all sung and done, Nina proved to be an extremely versatile woman, with a such a dynamic range from (and within) her piano playing to her undeniable voice.
- Jake
