Album Review: Annie Lennox – Nostalgia
3 min read
Scottish singing superstar Annie Lennox is an extraordinary woman, not only by selling a colossal approximate of 80 million albums worldwide, but through her philanthropy and her gift of music; the winner of eight Brit Awards and known as one half of 1980’s power duo Eurythmics, she is one of the most powerful and admirable women in the industry to date. Her first solo album Diva was released to highest critical acclaim back in 1992, and the world still can’t get enough of music’s first lady; she is set to release her fifth solo effort, Nostalgia. The new album is a covers compilation of Lennox’s childhood favourites from the soul, jazz and blues genres.
Annie tackles Hoagy Carmichael’s Memphis In June with an emotive trill, the 59 year old’s voice shows no sign of falter; Georgia On My Mind was also originally a Carmichael song (made famous by Ray Charles), Lennox’s take on the vintage hit is as fresh as a daisy as the synth-organs lead the way into an atmosphere of soul and mind-easing strings. Lennox released her attention grabbing version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 1956 hit I Put A Spell On You as the lead single, this was a good move; the guitar was edgy and Annie’s voice had this soulful grit that you could only sit back and admire. George Gershwin’s Summertime was also graced with Lennox’s talent, the tonal quality of her voice amongst the piano led backdrop sets the mood and almost brings a tear to your eye; justice was done for Johnny Green and Edward Heyman’s jazz standard I Cover The Waterfront, Annie’s knack for jazz music is impeccably divine and you can hear her passion for the genre in her voice.
The dark Strange Fruit was written in 1937 as a poem, however it was made famous by Billie Holiday in 1939 when she sang and recorded it; Lennox revives the track into the modern era and she manages to preserve the emotion of the piece with that distinct voice of hers. Billie Holiday is covered again, her Grammy Hall of Fame honoured track God Bless The Child was given the Annie treatment to be enjoyed again, 75 years after it was written; Jo Stafford’s version of the 1952 track You Belong To Me made it commercially successful, Annie’s cover is just as beautifully delivered. James Melton’s September In The Rain has been covered endlessly, but it certainly didn’t sound like an exhausted number when Annie took the reigns, its gracefulness resonates throughout from the initial note; I Can Dream, Can’t I?was originally written by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal, Lennox nails the track’s optimism with her smooth rendition. The Nearness Of You was made famous in the 1938 film Romance In The Dark, Lennox revives the song’s enchanting vibe and delivers a cover worthy of gracing even today’s theatrical works; her take on Mood Indigo is also something to write home about, the magic that seemingly envelope’s the album doesn’t fail.
Nostalgia gave Annie Lennox the chance to open up one of the many windows into her influential life to give fans and admirers alike a glimpse of what inspired her musically, the compilation was delivered beautifully and masterfully; though the tracks have aged, Lennox breathed some life into them once more with her powerhouse of a voice, another quality that is seemingly ageless. It’s a wonderful notion for an artist of this or a previous era to release a collection of classics such as what is featured on Nostalgia, it opens up today’s generation to the origins of music from the jazz/blue/soul genres with class. Yet another desirable hit from the legend that is Annie Lennox, and may she continue to release music for some time to come.
