Eva Cassidy: Legendary Singer

Eva Cassidy music clips, articles, reviews, etc.

2004-09-26T01:20:00.000-07:00

Photo: Norman Watkins
Used by permission

Table of Contents

Introduction

About Eva

Discography, with songs, music clips, and articles

Reviews

Theater and Film Productions

Eva Images and Art

Eva Links

Searches

About Melanoma

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Introduction

This blog features Eva's songs and CDs, with music clips, reviews, and articles about the songs and CDs. You will need to download the FREE RealPlayer to listen to many of the clips.

When possible it is my intention to track down the original artist (at least the one who made the song popular) for each song and place a link to the music clip, if it exists. By clicking on their name you should be able to hear their version, and thus compare the original with Eva's version. If that doesn't work, you should be able to find the clip on the page and then click their link.

Occasionally you will see a red X to the right of a particular song. That simply marks it as one of my many favorites.......;-)

I can highly recommend all of her CDs. Every CD is varied, containing different styles of songs, thus providing a good glimpse of Eva's abilities. One never ceases to be amazed by her ability to sing such widely different styles of music, her incredible vocal range, her fantastic voice control, and her sensitive and inspiring interpretations. She was also a very gifted music arranger.

This blog is constantly evolving and growing, so come back often. I would greatly appreciate any comments, corrections and help that can make this site even better. If anyone has any copyright issues to discuss, please contact me by email (see my profile). I would love to give credit where credit is due, and it certainly wouldn't hurt anything if the owner of an image or quote got some free advertising....;-)

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Photo: Larry Melton

Used by permission

About Eva

"She could sing anything . . . and make it sound like it was the only music that mattered." -- Richard Harrington, The Washington Post, Nov. 17, 1996

"A voice as powerful and soulful as any in popular music." -- Associated Press

"One of the best voices to have emerged from the U.S. in years." -- The Australian

“Eva Cassidy’s is the most remarkable posthumous career trajectory in pop music history.” -- London Daily Telegraph - 8/16/03

"Cassidy did not write many original songs. Her talent lay in interpretation, in a mastery of emotional redefinition of a song and in finding her path to the heart of the song often missing from its original recording. One critic observed, "Cassidy had a voice that would silence a bar and make pool players set down their cues. She was developing a body of work that could have grown into the voice of a generation." -- Cassidy Clan site

"Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 - November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist who was described by the (London) Guardian newspaper as "one of the greatest voices of her generation". Although possessing a soulful voice, an extraordinary range and a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop, she still remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington D.C. at the time of her death from cancer in 1996. However posthumously released recordings have since sold in excess of four million copies, and in early 2001 the compilation album Songbird reached number one on the U.K. album charts. . . .

In 2003, American Tune became Eva's third consecutive Number 1 album in the UK. No other posthumous artist in Music History has been able to match this, even Elvis." -- (there's more -- Wikipedia)

All Music Guide

Though many recording artists meld and straddle a variety of genres, few if any defy categorization by excelling in so many disparate styles as the late Eva Cassidy. The diverse offerings from the evocative thrush from Washington, D.C. -- who died tragically of melanoma in 1996 at age 33 -- run the gamut from the radio-friendly pop cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold" to a jazz chanteuse rendition of the standard "Autumn Leaves," to the soulful R&B of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" to her spine-tingling gospel delivery of "Oh, Had I a Golden Thread." Cassidy's mastery of each is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that the Washington Area Music Association honored her (in 1996) as Best Female Vocalist in four separate categories: blues, jazz-contemporary, jazz-traditional and roots rock/traditional R&B, in addition to naming her Artist of the Year, and her then-current release, Live At Blues Alley, Album of the Year. Songbird is a posthumous anthology culled from that album and her other solo release, Eva By Heart, along with one track from her 1992 duet album with Chuck Brown titled The Other Side. Though the production value on several songs falls well short of state-of-the-art, the shimmering beauty of her crystal clear voice, combined with her seemingly limitless range and imaginative phrasing, cuts through to both heart and soul. Whether she beckons a soothing timbre for seductively restrained passages or shakes the rafters by unleashing her formidable power and gorgeous falsetto, Cassidy's warblings always fuse her purity of tone with a purity of emotion and a palpable connection with the lyric. Though the songs described above are luscious, the coup de maitre is the album's finale -- surely one of the great recordings in recent popular music -- Cassidy's stunning version of "Over the Rainbow." Recorded with only her own accompaniment on acoustic guitar, keyboards and synthesizer, Cassidy's voice swoops and soars over a musical panorama -- though with a wistful, melancholic shading that almost seems to betray a premonition of her own demise, despite the fact that it would be nearly four years before she would be diagnosed with her terminal illness. Cassidy more than rearranges the Judy Garland classic -- she reinvents it. The song is immediately familiar, yet the beautiful colors that arc the sky are very much hers. In an eerie coincidence, if one inverts the two words contained in the album's title, "Songbird" (which was taken from her straightforward rendition of the Fleetwood Mac cut), the result is "Bird Song." The irony is that "Bird Song" is the title of the Grateful Dead's ode to another phenomenal woman singer whose melodious flight was tragically cut short: Janis Joplin. One could argue that its lyrics and sentiment are equally apropos of Eva Cassidy. -- Scott Taylor

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Discography, with songs, music clips, and articles

Here are the CDs in the order of their release. If there are problems with the clips, try the CD site's link. Amazon.com also has a link you can try labelled "Listen to all". It will automatically play all the clips from the album. Other sites with good music clips: synuk.com artistdirect

Before you get started, here's a fun game to play:

What's That Song?
It will test your knowledge of Eva's songs in a fun way. At the same time you get to hear good clips of the songs. You can play again and again.

(1) The Other Side (together with Chuck Brown - 1992)
1. Let The Good Times Roll (clip) (Ray Charles) X
2. Fever (clip)
3. You Don't Know Me (clip)
4. I Could Have Told You So (clip) (Frank Sinatra) (Carol Kidd?)
5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (clip) (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong)
6. I'll Go Crazy (clip) (James Brown and the Famous Flames) X
7. You Don't Know What Love Is (clip) (Billie Holiday) (Ray Charles) (Ella Fitzgerald) (Marvin Gaye)
8. Drown In My Own Tears (clip) (Ray Charles) (Aretha Franklin) (Chet Atkins)
9. God Bless The Child (clip) (Billie Holiday) (Blood Sweat & Tears)
10. Red Top (clip) (Woody Herman)
11. Dark End Of The Street (clip) (Dan Penn)
12. The Shadow Of Your Smile (clip) (Count Basie)
13. Over The Rainbow (clip) (Judy Garland) (article) X
14. You've Changed (clip) (Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie)

Live At Pearl's Annapolis, Maryland, USA on September 14, 1994 (unpublished bootleg)

1. If I Give My Heart

2. Woodstock
3. Early Morning Rain
4. Imagine
5. Summertime
6. People Get Ready
7. American Tune
8. I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again
9. Wayfaring Stranger
10. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
11. Kathy's Song
12. Autumn Leaves

13. Blue Eyes Crying

14. Bold Young Farmer

15. Wade In The Water

16. Songbird

17. The Water Is Wide

18. Tennessee Waltz

19. Drown In My Own Tears

20. Red Red Rose

21. Bridge Over Troubled Water

22. Over The Rainbow

Chris Biondo's comments about it:
http://evacassidy.org/eva/biondo.htm

Eva succumbs to melanoma
aged 33, on Nov. 2, 1996.

(2) Live at Blues Alley (September 23, 1997) (article)
1. Cheek To Cheek (clip) (Sarah Vaughan) X
2. Stormy Monday (clip) (T Bone Walker) (Count Basie)
3. Bridge Over Troubled Water (clip) (Simon and Garfunkel)
4. Fine And Mellow (clip) (Ella Fitzgerald) (Billie Holiday) X
5. People Get Ready (clip) (Curtis Mayfield) (article)
6. Blue Skies (clip) (Dinah Washington)
7. Tall Trees In Georgia (clip) (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
8. Fields Of Gold (clip) (Sting) (article) X
9. Autumn Leaves (clip) (Duke Ellington) (article)
10. Honeysuckle Rose (clip) (Count Basie) (Fats Waller)
11. Take Me To The River (clip) (Al Green) X
12. What A Wonderful World (clip) (full clip) (article) (Louis Armstrong) X
13. Oh, Had I A Golden Thread (clip) (Pete Seeger) (article) X

(3) Eva By Heart (1997) (article)
1. I Know You By Heart (clip) (article)
2. Time Is A Healer (clip)
3. Wayfaring Stranger (clip)
4. Wade In The Water (clip)
5. Blues In The Night (clip) X
6. Songbird (clip) (Christine McVie) X
7. Need Your Love So Bad (clip) (Little Willie John) (Fleetwood Mac) (Sting)
8. Say Goodbye (clip) (Steven Digman) (article)
9. Nightbird (clip) (Doug Mcleod)
10. Waly Waly (clip)
11. How Can I Keep From Singing? (clip)
12. Dark End of the Street (clip) (Dan Penn) (Aretha Franklin) (Percy Sledge)

(4) Songbird (March 31, 1998)
1. Fields Of Gold (clip) (Sting) (article) X
2. Wade In The Water (clip) (Soul Stirrers)
3. Autumn Leaves (clip) (article)
4. Wayfaring Stranger (clip) (Tim Buckley ?)
5. Songbird (clip) (Christine McVie)
6. Time Is A Healer (clip)
7. I Know You By Heart (clip) (article)
8. People Get Ready (clip) (article)
9. Oh, Had I A Golden Thread (clip) (article) X
10. Over The Rainbow (clip) (Judy Garland) (article) X

(5) Time after Time (June 20, 2000) (article) (review below)
1. Kathy's Song (clip) (Paul Simon)
2. Ain't No Sunshine (clip) (Bill Withers)
3. The Letter (clip) (Joe Cocker)
4. At Last (clip) (article) X
5. Time After Time (clip) (Cyndi Lauper) X
6. Penny To My Name (clip) (article)
7. I Wandered By A Brookside (clip) X
8. I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again (clip)
9. Easy Street Dream (clip) X
10. Anniversary Song (clip) (Steven Digman) (article)
11. Woodstock (clip) (Joni Mitchell)
12. Way Beyond The Blue (clip)

(6) Imagine (August 20, 2002) (article)
1. It doesn't Matter Anymore (clip) (Paul Anka) (Buddy Holly) (Linda Ronstadt)
2. Fever (clip) (Little Willie John) (Peggy Lee) X
3. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (clip) (Sandy Denny) (Judy Collins)
4. You've Changed (clip) (article)
5. Imagine (clip) (John Lennon)
6. Still Not Ready (clip) (article)
7. Early Morning Rain (clip) (Gordon Lightfoot)
8. Tennessee Waltz (clip) X
9. I Can Only Be Me (clip)
10. Danny Boy (clip) X

(7) American Tune (August 12, 2003) (article)
1. Drowning in the Sea of Love (clip) (BB King)
2. True Colours (clip) (Cyndi Lauper) X
3. The Water is Wide (clip) (Joan Baez) X
4. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (clip) (Ray Charles) X
5. God Bless the Child (clip) (Billie Holiday)
6. Dark Eyed Molly (clip) (Fairport Convention)
7. American Tune (clip) (Paul Simon)
8. It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing) (clip) (Ella Fitzgerald)
9. Yesterday (clip)
10. You Take My Breath Away (clip)

(8) Wonderful World (July 27, 2004)
1. What A Wonderful World (from Live At Blues Alley)
2. Kathy's Song (from Time After Time)
3. Say Goodbye (from Eva By Heart)
4. Anniversary Song (from Time After Time)
5. How Can I Keep From Singing? (from Eva By Heart)
6. You Take My Breath Away (from American Tune)
7. Drowning In a Sea Of Love (from American Tune)
8. Penny To My Name (from Time After Time)
9. You've Changed (from Imagine)
10. It Doesn't Matter Any More (from Imagine)
11. Waly Waly (from Eva By Heart) (remixed)

(all songs previously released, but a good introductory CD)

(9) Next CD?

I sure hope that a new CD comes out soon with some new songs. Listening to her music creates a craving to hear more..... ;-)

Here is what the people involved have to say:

"It's a very difficult line to walk," says Jennings. "We don't want to be seen as scraping any barrel bottoms but we haven't done that."

Biondo is acutely aware of walking that line. Although he has no say over what is released he is responsible for supplying the recordings and he knows that Eva would not have thought they were good enough. "We're dealing with a lot of music that was never intended to be on record. And I'm guilty. It's my fault. But I would say what's out there with someone singing as good as Eva? I mean I listen to the record sometimes and if I was a recording engineer I'd laugh and say who's the asshole recording this shit? But then I listen to Eva and my God this girl can sing."

Barbara Cassidy says there will only be two more albums and she regularly turns down offers of a Hollywood biopic. "If a movie comes out it has to be the truth," she says firmly. But Cassidy recorded so much material over the years that some of it is out of her family's control. There have been two below-par unauthorised releases - the slick, hollow No Boundaries and a reissue of Method Actor's debut - under Cassidy's name and the Cassidys are suing some of their daughter's former acquaintances in an ongoing case which they are unable to discuss."

The two other - controversial - CDs using Eva as a soloist or backing vocalist.

No Boundaries (September 19, 2000) (BBC) (Renata)

Listen to these clips *before* judging this CD!!

1. Emotional Step (full version) (BBC clip) (Renata clip) X

2. The Waiting Is Over (BBC clip)

3. You Are (BBC clip) (Renata clip) X

4. Natural Woman (BBC clip) (Renata clip) X

5. Little Children (BBC clip)

6. I've Got This Feeling (BBC clip)

7. When It's Too Late (BBC clip)

8. On The Inside (BBC clip)

9. Emotional Step - radio edit (BBC clip)

10. Natural Woman - traditional (BBC clip)

11. Little Children - reflection (BBC clip) (Renata clip)

Method Actor (LP - 1988; CD - June 25, 2002) (clips can be heard here)

1. Getting Out

2. Look Into My Eyes

3. When It's Too Late

4. Laugh With Me

5. Stay

6. Little Children

7. Forever

8. End The Rain

9. How Will It End

10. The Waiting Is Over

Eva Cassidy Sings (DVD) November 1, 2004, Hot Records, UK
Henrik's great site will include a short introduction to the DVD, quotes from reviews, chart positions, comments etc.
1. What A Wonderful World (clip)
2. Cheek To Cheek (clip)
3. People Get Ready
4. You've Changed
5. Time After Time (clip)
6. Honeysuckle Rose
7. Autumn Leaves
8. Stormy Monday
9. Tall Trees In Georgia
10. Over The Rainbow (clip) X

THE VIP EDGE has four clips (above) for viewing.

BBC has some video clips as well:
Time After Time (clip)
Cheek to Cheek (clip)
Over the Rainbow (clip)

Other Songs by Eva

A search of CDconnection.com (refresh the page by clicking the search link at the top using her name) reveals many CDs and soundtracks with songs by Eva:

Here are some songs (with clips) which are not on the current Eva Cassidy CDs listed above:

The Christmas Song - Chuck Brown/Eva Cassidy (clip)
That Spirit of Christmas - Chuck Brown/Eva Cassidy (clip)
It's Not the Presents Under My Tree (It's Your Presence Right Here Next to Me) (clip)
Goodbye Manhattan - (featuring Eva Cassidy) (clip)
Have a Little Faith - (featuring Eva Cassidy) (clip)
Baggage - (featuring Eva Cassidy) (clip)

Other Eva-related songs:

Faraway Voice - Katie Melua (dedicated to Eva Cassidy) (clip)

Songbird - Chris de Burgh (clip)

"This is a lovely, simply stated tribute to the late Eva Cassidy. What I find so interesting about this song is that the title and the lyrics relate so wonderfully to Ms. Cassidy's music. It has been said of her that perhaps she was not as well known as she could have been because her greatest desire was to simply sing meaningful songs. Here again is the theme of using one's gifts to share with others, while not being focused on what personal gains might be made. I think the words to this song reflect Eva's great love of music and how that came through loud and clear to her listeners, much like an angel's song, and in turn brought others immeasurable joy." -- Bree Donovan

More dedications and covers

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Reviews

Editorial Reviews from Amazon.com

(1) The Other Side (together with Chuck Brown - 1992)
Only in America could an album like this have come together: Eva Cassidy, a young vocalist who, had she lived, might have gone on to become her generation's favorite song interpreter, trading verses with Chuck Brown, seasoned godfather of the D.C. underground funk movement known as go-go. By the time this was recorded in 1992, the go-go trend had long since peaked for Brown, while the twentysomething Cassidy was still an unknown local session vocalist. Yet, on this set of standards, the two collaborate as if they were picking up where they'd left off decades earlier, from easy-riding versions of "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You" to near-definitive renditions of "Over the Rainbow" and "Dark End of the Street." And while it's easy to focus on the posthumously acclaimed Cassidy, Brown's haunting solo turn on "You Don't Know What Love Is" suggests that unjustly overlooked talents are still making music in the shadows of our nation's capital. -- Bill Forman

(2) Live at Blues Alley (September 23, 1997)
When Eva Cassidy is swinging her way through "Cheek to Cheek" and getting down and bluesy on "Stormy Monday" on this live set from 1996, it's nigh impossible not to get swept up in her voice's vast, barreling force. Her full range, though, becomes most obvious--and soul-shaking--on the slower side, as with Paul Simon's "Bridge over Troubled Water," Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Tall Trees in Georgia," and "What a Wonderful World." On these latter tunes, Cassidy's mix of aching clarity and rich warmth has a melting quality, speaking through the body to some evanescent presence that she seems to know all too well. She improbably makes Sting's "Fields of Gold" an emotional powerhouse just as easily as she makes Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" an offhand declaration of feeling equal to nearly anything in the jazz vocal canon. In doing so she earns her place among the great singers--artists who could take any song and stamp it indelibly as their own. What Eva Cassidy had in her short life was an unbelievably perfect voice and a musical soul that grasped gospel, folk, blues, jazz, and all points in between as if they were mere stops on a single train ride. Alas, her ride ended in 1996, tragically early. -- Andrew Bartlett

Album Description
Recorded live at Blues Alley, Washington, D.C., Jan. 2, 1996, where the late folk singer/songwriter had a loyal following. 13 tracks, including four that appeared on her breakthrough 1998 album, 'Songbird'. Blix Street.

(3) Eva By Heart (1997)
Like a stateside Sandy Denny, Eva Cassidy's voice managed to be ethereal yet soulful, haunting yet warm, and evocative enough to make you believe--at least during those moments when you're listening to it--that she's the best singer you've ever heard. The purity of the late Washington D.C. singer's voice, set against tasteful strings and her own angelic backing vocals, shines on the opening "I Know You by Heart," catches fire on "Wade in the Water," and never fades throughout this 1997 studio album. And while Cassidy's gorgeous vocals may be best served by quietly reflective tracks such as "Nightbird" and "Waly Waly," it's still fun to hear her attack "Time Is a Healer" with a melismatic fervor that could kick Whitney and Mariah's asses. If you're new to Cassidy, either this CD or the Songbird compilation would make a fine introduction to a great American artist. -- Bill Forman

Album Description
1997 album for the late folk singer/songwriter. 11 tracks including her classic cover of Christine McVie's 'Songbird'. Blix Street.

(4) Songbird (March 31, 1998)
Songbird cherry-picks tracks from the three locally released albums of Eva Cassidy, whose hauntingly beautiful vocals went virtually unheard outside her native Washington, D.C., during her short 33 years with us. Lost to melanoma in 1996, Cassidy sang with an unaffected purity and an astonishing ability to make both classic and contemporary songs sound like they were written just for her. Sting's "Fields of Gold" finally lives up to its title through the alchemy of Cassidy's transcendent rendition, while other tracks on this anthology showcase her ease in the realms of pop (Christine McVie's "Songbird"), soul ("People Get Ready"), gospel ("Wade on the Water"), and traditional standards ("Autumn Leaves" and "Over the Rainbow"). Framed by understated jazz and pop arrangements, Cassidy's clear, soulful voice and exquisite phrasing make her that rarest of vocalists whose interpretations are a complement to any song. A fine introduction to a true talent. -- Billy Grenier

People
The CD is rendered hopelessly poignant by the knowledge that Cassidy died two years ago at 33 from melanoma.... Whether in jazz, folk or inspirational music, Cassidy's potential was huge, and this album stands as a testament to popular music's loss.

Album Description
Songbird is a posthumous anthology culled from the album Live At Blues Alley and her other solo release, Eva By Heart, along with one track from her 1992 duet album with Chuck Brown titled The Other Side. Blix label.

(5) Time after Time (June 20, 2000)
Minus all the machinery that the music industry can put behind an artist, Eva Cassidy sang bewitchingly in Washington, D.C. and then died without fanfare in 1996, when she was a mere 33 years old. And then the world began hearing Cassidy, thanks largely to Songbird, a posthumous collection of locally released album tracks that went on to garner media attention, critical praise, and commercial success. This collection gathers both live and studio cuts delivered within warm, mostly acoustic settings; often it is simply Cassidy, her voice, and her guitar. Inside are some of Cassidy's best-executed covers, beginning with Paul Simon's "Kathy's Song" and ending with a stellar rendition of the traditional gospel "Way Beyond the Blue." In between are heart-wringing versions of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine" and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." What distinguishes Cassidy so completely is her offhand ability to transform songs beyond their initial character with a voice that brilliantly mixes an airy floating quality and an edge that you know can pop open to reveal a belt-it-out strength to rival the best in the singer's trade. -- Andrew Bartlett

Album Description
The 2000 release Time After Time is a collection of 12 previously unreleased Eva Cassidy performances, primarily studio recordings, Time After Time also includes four live tracks. This album continues the tradition set by previous Eva Cassidy releases, a mix of traditional favorites such as 'I Wandered by a Brookside' and more contemporary songs like the title track, a remake of the 1984 Cyndi Lauper hit. Blix label.

Here are a couple more reviews of the album "Time After Time", from Cyndi Lauper's site:

From Pioneer Planet:
Eva Cassidy, "Time After Time" (Blix Street Records). This posthumous collection from Cassidy, the stunning Washington, D.C., singer who died in 1996, begins with a sublimely understated version of Paul Simon's "Kathy's Song" and goes on to wholly reinvent everything from the Box Tops' "The Letter" and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" to Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" with the same serenity that marked some of the great early '70s singer/songwriter records.

From Excite News:
"Time After Time" is further evidence of what popular music lost in 1996 when a virtually unknown singer named Eva Cassidy died of cancer at 33. Painfully shy by all accounts, and seemingly uninterested in stardom, Cassidy nonetheless was one of the great singers of our time.

Record companies had no idea what to do with a woman who could wail like Aretha Franklin in her prime on one song, then break hearts with a whisper on the next; who didn't care if a song was soul, pop, gospel, jazz, blues or folk as long as it moved her and she could find its essence. And so when she died, Cassidy left behind a slim body of recorded work and a growing base of fans in her native Washington, D.C., area.

"Time After Time" follows a compilation, "Songbird," with 12 previously unreleased songs, emphasizing ballads. Cassidy gets to the core of each, with a voice that can be fragile or strong, edgy or tender. She covers songs by writers as diverse as Cyndi Lauper and Harlan Howard, making each distinctly her own. Her versions of Paul Simon's "Kathy's Song," which opens the album, and the gospel "Way Beyond the Blue," which closes it, are classic.
-- Eric Fidler, AP Writer

(6) Imagine (August 20, 2002)
For anyone who suspects that record companies will soon be releasing Eva Cassidy's voice mail messages, it's extraordinarily pleasing to note that Imagine is more than just a bottom-of-the-barrel-scraping exercise. All of these tracks are previously unreleased and most are live recordings, but listeners who already own Live at Blues Alley know just how refreshing Cassidy's live performances were. Check out her take on Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" to feel a shiver of delight at another effortlessly ideal cover, or listen to her laid-back "You've Changed" from the Blues Alley sessions to experience more of her soulful jazz. Elsewhere, the solo acoustic reading of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" shows off her guitar skills, and if "Imagine" doesn't ever scale the heights of Songbird's "Over the Rainbow" it still demonstrates how she always had something new and uniquely compelling to say when performing a familiar standard. Studio recordings "Still Not Ready" and "I Can Only Be Me" are, oddly perhaps, the least successful cuts. Happily, the album concludes with another lovely solo standard, "Danny Boy." The recording quality varies noticeably from track to track, and there are a few awkward fade-outs--presumably to remove audience noise--but still the sparkling music comes across quite vividly. Imagine may not be the best way to discover Eva Cassidy for the first time, but established fans will warmly welcome this new collection. -- Mark Walker

Album Description
'Imagine' (featuring all previously unreleased tracks) is the first Eva Cassidy album released since 'Songbird's worldwide success. 'Songbird' is certified Gold in the U.S., was No.1 on both Billboard's Catalog Album Chart & Internet Chart in 2001, & was a No. 1 pop album & certified triple platinum in the U.K. In addition to Eva's starkly moving tribute to John Lennon's 'Imagine', Eva Cassidy re-interprets 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' - distinctly different from the Buddy Holly & Linda Ronstadt versions. Ryko. 2002.

(7) American Tune (August 12, 2003)
Eva Cassidy fans surely feel something akin to relief when another cache of tapes is opened for release. The singer's 1996 death at the age of 33, after all, rendered her output finite in the saddest and most frustrating way. American Tune's modus operandi is similar to previous Cassidy CDs in its mix of standard repertoire (here, everything from "Yesterday" to "God Bless the Child" and Ray Charles's "Hallelujah I Love [Him] So" rubs shoulders) and fine, less obvious choices (Joe Simon's early-'70s soul hit "Drowning in the Sea of Love"). The sometimes pedestrian backing does little to spoil the pleasure of Cassidy's pure tone and the surprises she's able to wring from the material--on the Charles tune, she even suggests a distaff Lyle Lovett. She'd no doubt be pleased to know that tracks uncovered at this point now sound like, well, notes from a missed, much-loved friend. -- Rickey Wright

Album Description
2003 album featuring Eva's unique interpretations of ten classic songs. From her timeless reading of 'American Tune' (Paul Simon's reflections on an ever-changing America) to 'Drowning In The Sea Of Love' (a searing blues-rock take on the Joe Simon 70s hit written and produced by Gamble & Huff), this collection is filled with thrills and surprises. Blix Street.

(8) Wonderful World (July 27, 2004)
About the Artist
WONDERFUL WORLD, A COMPANION PIECE TO SONGBIRD, is an anthology comprised of standout selections from Eva Cassidy’s other, lesser-known CDs.

Included in this collection are "What a Wonderful World," originally on Cassidy’s first solo album, LIVE AT BLUES ALLEY; "Kathy’s Song," "Anniversary Song" and "Penny To My Name" from TIME AFTER TIME; "Say Goodbye," "How Can I Keep From Singing?" and "Waly Waly" from her studio album EVA BY HEART; "You’ve Changed" and "It Doesn’t Matter Anymore" from her IMAGINE album; and "You Take My Breath Away" and "Drowning in the Sea of Love" from last year’s critically-acclaimed CD, AMERICAN TUNE.

The opening and closing tracks of the new collection, "What a Wonderful World" and "Waly Waly," respectively, both contain new backing tracks recorded especially for this collection by Cassidy’s original band members.

"We understand that many people may already have most or all of Eva’s CDs," explains Blix Street President Bill Straw. "But, for those people who only have SONGBIRD, this anthology serves as an introduction to the other five Eva Cassidy CDs." Eva Cassidy died of melanoma at the age of 33 in November, 1996, months after the release of Live At Blues Alley. Although Cassidy was posthumously honored by the Washington Area Music Association as 1996’s ‘top female vocalist" in six separate musical categories and immediately voted into the WAMA "Hall Of Fame," it would be nearly five years before the world at large discovered the music of Eva Cassidy. After the initial release of Songbird and the re-release of Live At Blues Alley and Eva By Heart during the Spring of 1998, word of mouth began to spread around the globe. Time After Time was released in June, 2000, an NPR producer heard it and arranged for an Eva Cassidy segment on Morning Edition, broadcast in December of 2000, and Eva Cassidy CDs suddenly occupied the top four positions on the amazon.com pop music chart. Meanwhile in England, the Top of the Pops 2 television program aired Eva’s Live At Blues Alley video performance of "Over the Rainbow," the clip aired again in January, 2001 due to overwhelming popular demand, and Songbird’s run up the British Pop charts reached No. 1 on March 18, 2001. "Unknown American Singer Goes No. 1 In England Five Years After Her Untimely Passing" became news on American television. One by one, The Today Show, ABC News With Peter Jennings, CNN, among others, chronicled the bittersweet success of Eva Cassidy. ABC Nightline devoted an entire program to The Eva Cassidy Story, which received the greatest viewer response ever for a Nightline program and has so far been aired four times. Both Imagine (2002) and American Tune (2003) entered the British charts at No. 1, as Eva Cassidy became the first artist ever to achieve three posthumous British No. 1 albums. Of the six million Eva Cassidy CDs sold worldwide to date, Songbird accounts for half. Wonderful World provides a window into the five CDs that make up the other half.

Reviews of the two other CDs

No Boundaries (Sept. 19, 2000)

Ed Loman - Baltimore, Maryland

For those who have come to love and appreciate the incredible artistic ability of Eva Cassidy, No Boundaries will allow you to hear the awesome versatility of one of the greatest voices ever.

Album Description

No Boundaries showcases a different side of Eva, the work she did as a session vocalist. It includes songs written and produced by Tony Taylor and David Christopher as well as two stunning new takes on the classic "Natural Woman". These were some of the first songs Eva ever sang in a professional studio environment (her work before having been done on either home equipment or recorded live). For those who appreciate Eva's stunning vocal work, this is a CD not to be missed.

From "The Eva Files":
"In some quarters, this album has been unfairly criticised and dismissed as being an unofficial release and therefore not a part of the Eva canon. My opinion, for what its worth, is that this is a fine stand alone album and obviously something that Eva willingly participated in. Sure, the music is not in the style with which we associate Eva, but nonetheless, its still a fine album in its own right and is as important to the Eva Cassidy musical legacy, as the early Quarrymen recordings are to the Beatles and the early Steel Mill recordings are to Bruce Springsteen. Therefore historically, as with the Method Actor album, they should not be overlooked." - Eva Cassidy 'Song by Song'

"This unauthorized CD—produced by her former manager—was released against the family’s wishes. It’s not Cassidy at her best." -- Washingtonian

Method Actor (June 25, 2002)

Method Actor is to Eva Cassidy's oeuvre what Get That Feeling is to Jimi Hendrix's index of recordings. Never heard of Get That Feeling? Most Hendrix fans haven't either--nor did Hendrix, for that matter. As with Hendrix, Cassidy's posthumous success has inspired a good deal of digging around for vault material. Method Actor originally came out on vinyl in 1988. The work of pedestrian lite rockers, the 10-song set captures Cassidy in the very early stages of a career than would be cut short a mere eight years later. Occasionally the singer's nascent interpretive skills shine through. The sweeping "Look into My Eyes" benefits from Cassidy's soaring vocal. More often then not, however, this is the work of journeymen who happened to cross paths with a star in the making. Completists will find bits and pieces of these first-time-on-CD recordings of interest (the cover art consists of drawings by the singer), but Cassidy enthusiasts will find this sound foreign to the Cassidy they know and love, and will move on, as she did. -- Steven Stolder

Album Description

This album was previously only available on vinyl, first time on CD. Front cover contains original illustrations drawn by Eva Cassidy. 2002.

'Method Actor' a subpar oldie
By RICHARD HARRINGTON
Washington Post
"Method Actor" looks like a new Eva Cassidy album, but it is, in fact, a CD reissue of her first efforts in a recording studio in 1987. . .
All this has prompted a lawsuit brought by the singer's parents, Hugh and Barbara Cassidy, and Blix Street, the label that has been championing her legacy since her death six years ago of cancer at age 33.

The suit claims Christopher's release uses Cassidy's name in a misleading fashion, causing consumer confusion and harming future sales of Cassidy albums.

The lawsuit seeks to have all copies of "Method Actor" recalled and destroyed, with substantial compensation and damages." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 20, 2002.

Other Quotes

Regarding Sting's "Fields of Gold":

"A lot of people have covered my songs. And it's a strange emotion, you know, because your own songs are like your own babies. I mean you might hear someone reinterpreting them and maybe you don't agree with what they've done. But this version was just so pure, so excellent, that I was deeply moved by it, and so happy that she covered it. Eva's is one of the best versions of my song I've ever heard...There is something about her voice - a quality - that you can't really put into words. It's a magical quality. People respond to its purity. It suggests something ethereal-- something unattainable." - Sting

"A friend of Eva's sent me the recording after her death, I thought it was a beautiful rendition. I've rarely heard a voice of such purity. I was deeply sorry to learn of her death and somehow it gave the song another emotional level. I was very happy the work saw the light of day. It's an extraordinary success." - Sting to Richard Harrington, Washington Post

"I heard this voice and it was so beautiful, so pure. And the next thing I hear, it's almost a year later, and Terry Wogan is playing it on Radio 2. Then lo and behold, it's number one in England and I'm happy for her. Even though it's a sad tragic story, it has kind of a poetry about it." - Sting

by Geert K. Mast
Used by permission

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Theater and Film Productions

Theater

A theater production - entitled Over the Rainbow - is already doing what deserves to be done on film. It is produced by Phoenix Productions.

Review: Over The Rainbow
The capacity audience at Garter Lane arts Centre stood in applause during the Phoenix Productions version of the sad times of Eva Cassidy - Over The Rainbow, and at the end it was a spontaneous ovation. Eva Cassidy died of cancer in 1996 but in 2001, Terry Wogan championed her sad plaintive voice on her cover of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Top selling CDs followed and we had the phenomenon of posthumous fame for a girl who didn't care about fame and only sang to small crowds at pick-up gigs. With careful marketing her story touched the lives of many people who were attracted to her ordinariness and early death at thirty-three.

A script by Brian Langtry is over-long and the first fifty minutes is an uneasy mix of ordinary images of parents meeting in Germany, children's games, a Wild West Theme park scene (Yee hah!) some dull studio scenes and then the slap in the heart as Loreto Murray as Eva sits on the floor and a tingle goes up the spine for Songbird, Fields Of Gold and a stunning spiritual Way Beyond The Blue. Act One ends with Somewhere Over The Rainbow - this cast can do no wrong. And what a talented young cast, with several graduates of the Liverpool Institute For performing Arts. Leon Craig as Chuck Brown brought the Second Act to a spin stand-up with Let The Good Time Roll and these performers showed their vocal and instrumental skill in Take Me To The River.

Suddenly the mood went sombre with a stunning girl duet Danny Boy as Imagine tugged at your emotional heartstrings. Autumn Leaves was a haze of tears, morphine and Mon (Lynn Robertson Hay) hit the tear ducts with a syrupy Know You By Heart. A mawkish What A Wonderful World was only sustained by great stagecraft and direction. So it was tears, wheelchairs and falling hair, falling leaves and a long time dying before the anguish of - Look out for me in the golden time. The audience loved it and stood up and said so in sustained applause.

Film

There are several movies which have used Eva on the soundtrack, but when are we going to see a movie about her? Would you like to see "Songbird: the Eva Cassidy Story" or "The Legend of Eva Cassidy" ?? The titles could be many......

Why not! How about a drama documentary film about her life? The general public deserves to become acquainted with Eva. It's been done before with other famous singers. There are plenty of people who knew her who could contribute to the making of a good film showcasing her music.

We must keep in mind that her fame is still limited to a relatively small group of music lovers. They are her fans, and they are the ones who buy her CDs. Unfortunately, if you mention her name to the ordinary man on the street, he'll likely reply "Never heard of her." The ones who get all the attention are the ones in the top ten. Those songs may be forgotten next year, but Eva's songs are enduring, and deserve to be known and cherished by an even wider audience.

Unfortunately this may not happen:

"Barbara Cassidy says there will only be two more albums and she regularly turns down offers of a Hollywood biopic. 'If a movie comes out it has to be the truth,' she says firmly."

Well, it CAN be done, and the world will be a better place if it gets done - the sooner the better.

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Boy in the Nest

This print can be purchased from Cassidy Artwork.

Eva Images and Art

Google search for images
http://www.evacassidy.com/pages/1/index.htm
http://www.evacassidy.com/pages/5/index.htm
http://www.evacassidy.com/pages/6/index.htm
http://evacassidy.org/eva/evapix.htm
http://www.oaksite.co.uk/painting.html
http://www.oaksite.co.uk/art.html
CrosstownArts

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Photo: Larry Melton

Used by permission

Eva Links

Eva Cassidy Web Site -- Laura Bligh

Questions and Answers

Songbird book information

Other Sites
http://crosstownarts.com/CrosstownArts/client_music/eva/
http://www.evacassidy.com/
http://www.oaksite.co.uk/
http://www.synuk.com/eva/
www.blixstreet.com/eva.html
Amazon.com
evacassidy · A group to remember Eva Cassidy
Evasongs - group discussion board

Eva Cassidy Webring

Please submit your Eva site. There is power in numbers. Your site will get more hits, and Eva will become better known.

Eva Cassidy: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
My First Eva Cassidy CD: My first blog about Eva, taken from my website.

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Searches: "Eva Cassidy"

Google
Amazon.com (Use their search function.)

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About Melanoma

Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment-producing cells of the skin called "melanocytes." These are the cells that make dark skin dark, and allow fair skin to tan. Melanoma is an important cancer to know about, because if it is diagnosed and removed at an early stage, the cure rate is high. However, if it is diagnosed late, spread of disease is likely to occur.

Melanoma can appear anywhere on the skin surface. In men, it is most common on the back or the head and neck, and in women, on the back or the back of the legs. Melanoma can develop in a pre-existing mole, or arise on normal-appearing skin. It is suspected when a "mole" looks uneven in terms of its border, shape, or color. Diagnosis is confirmed with a simple skin biopsy. . . . (there's more)

(Quote from the Johns Hopkins site)

The Skin Cancer Resources Directory

Malignant Melanoma Links

Melanoma Images

Google search

Cancer Quackery Alert!

If you have cancer of any kind, and are considering using so-Called "Alternative Medicine", please read the following first:

Cancer Survival & Alternative Medicine

It is now clearly documented that using so-Called "Alternative Medicine" (sCAM), in connection with conventional treatment, will increase your risk of death by 30%. That's quite alot!

The study above was of people that used the two methods concurrently. Those who do not seek modern medical care probably fare much MUCH worse, but we don't have those statistics, since sCAM practitioners don't keep track of that kind of thing. We can guess at what it's like. Just look at what happened to nearly all cancer victims 100 years ago. They all died, with very few exceptions.

So the sure way to be more certain of dying, and of doing it quicker, is to use sCAM alone.

Please don't be fooled by snake oil salesmen. When in doubt about any claim that sounds too good to be true, check out Quackwatch before taking action. Doing so may well save your life.

Special Message for Cancer Patients Seeking Alternative Treatment

My first Eva Cassidy CD

2004-09-09T02:31:00.001-07:00

Eva Cassidy's story is an ironic paradox of great proportions. For most people, death is their final conqueror. For Eva Cassidy, death became her catapult to artistic immortality. Instead of causing her to be forgotten, it made her not only internationally known, but positively unforgettable. She has become a legend. What is usually a curse has turned out, in spite of itself, to be a blessing to the world. This time death has freed the way for the world to become a better place through her discovery.

My First Eva CD

Let me tell you about the first Eva Cassidy CD I bought. A 30 minute TV documentary about her was shown one evening. I was so touched and impressed by it that I said, "I've just got to buy her music."

The next day after work I went to a local music shop and was lucky enough to find the only CD of hers that they had. It was the one called "Imagine" (she sings Lennon's classic on it). I then took it home and did what I like to do with a new CD - sit down and read the insert while listening to it. I usually read the lyrics and descriptions, or whatever is written there.

Well, I was sitting at the dining room table with my wife sitting on the other side, and we listened while I read to myself. Suddenly, while the last song was playing, she looked at me and said: "Are you crying?", and then I startled her by laughing through my tears. It was an odd "happening", and here's why:

The last song is the old Irish ( although not originating in Ireland ) song "Danny Boy". It's a song of one who is going to die, and her lover will come to her grave. Well, Eva Cassidy also died, and her story is very heartwrenching. While having just read her story, and then listening to her singing those words so beautifully and sensitively, my eyes became moist, and my soul was really moved. Then while I was also reading the short comment on the song, my wife asked her question, and I started laughing. Why? Well, it was really a coincidence that everything coincided so perfectly. Here is what I read at the moment my wife spoke:

"..... and Eva's "enough to make a grown man cry" rendition of the traditional Danny Boy to close the album."

Bingo! I wasn't the only man that had experienced the same thing when hearing her sing that song. And it's not the only one that can do that. There are a few other songs that are also in that category. Her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" is already becoming a classic in some circles, so some people sing the original Judy Garland version, and others sing the Eva Cassidy version.

Other songs I just love:

Fields of Gold
Oh, Had I a Golden Thread
I Know You By Heart
Fever
Tennessee Waltz
Cheek to Cheek
Fine and Mellow
True Colours
You Take My Breath Away
I Wandered By a Brookside

Search: Eva Cassidy

I'll no doubt write more about Eva later. Her music is very inspiring. I encourage you to go out and buy her music. You won't regret it!

Please return to (and link to) this blog often.

This blog is an affiliate site of Confessions of a Quackbuster & The Quack-Files

Portræt af Eva Cassidy DR1 (Danish)

2004-09-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

ARKIV
Dokumentar/ udenlandsk
Portræt af Eva Cassidy
DR1 31.03.04 / 22.00

Portræt af Eva Cassidy

Den amerikanske musiker og sanger Eva Cassidy døde af hudkræft i 1996 kun 33 år gammel. Mens hun levede var hun kun kendt af få - syv år efter sin død sælger hendes plader i million-vis og har bl.a. slået Robbie Williams af den engelske hitlistes 1. plads. I dette stærke og rø-rende portrætprogram fortælles historien om den unge kvinde med den store stemme, der bl.a. sang Judy Garland-klassikeren ”Over the Rainbow” så det risler i sjælen velvære.

Historien om Eva Cassidys liv og især hendes eftermæle er på en gang både ulykkelig og enestående. For hvem kunne ønske sig noget bedre, end at millioner af mennesker verden over, syv år efter sin død, stadig står i kø for at købe ens plader - og så mange, at de får både guld og platin hver eneste gang?

I sit alt for korte liv havde Eva Cassidy ikke meget andet end sin utrolige stemme, sin familie og en række nære venner, der troede fuldt og fast på hende. Berømmelse havde hun ingen af, og hun stred sig igennem dagen og vejen med småjobs og den smule, hun kunne tjene på sin stemme.

Manden i Evas liv

Som 23-årig mødte hun den mand, der skulle ændre hele hendes historie for eftertiden - produceren Chris Biondo. Han forelskede sig i Eva Cassidys fantastiske stemme - og en overgang også i Eva Cassidy selv. Gennem de næste ti år dannede de et meget tæt - og en overgang også privat - parløb.

Eva Cassidy var en genert, lidt tilbageholdende pige, men Chris Biondo vidste, at han nok skulle få gjort hende og hendes stemme til noget stort en dag. Han arbejdede intensivt på at udbrede hendes talent, bl.a. ved at arrangere koncerter for specielt inviterede pladeselskabs- og pressefolk. Og ved hundredevis af optagelser i sit studie, hvor den generte Eva Cassidy, der til tider led af sceneskræk, tillod sig selv at synge frit fra leveren - dét der faldt hende ind, og dét hun holdt af.

Men Chris Biondo nåede aldrig at få overtalt nogen af de ellers mange interesserede pladeselskaber til at binde an med Eva Cassidy. 2. november 1996 døde Eva Cassidy af hudkræft, og på det tidspunkt havde hun kun udgivet to ting: En duetplade med den lokale blues-hero Chuck Brown og hendes første selvfinancierede soloplade ”Live at the Blues Alley”, som udkom kort før hendes død.

Udgav mindeplade

Chris Biondo var knust over sin nære vens alt for tidlige bortgang. Han samlede alt, hvad han kunne finde i sit studie med indspilninger af Eva Cassidy og afleverede det til hendes familie med besked om, at de kunne gøre med det, hvad de ville. Familien besluttede at hylde deres døde datter og hendes talent ved at udsende albummet ”Eva by Heart” med nogle af de mange optagelser med Eva Cassidy.

Og så skete det underlige - ordet og musikken spredte sig fra øre til øre om denne vidunderlige sangerinde, der i løbet af meget kort tid havde en enorm fanskare ikke bare i Washington og USA, men over hele verden. De mange fans krævede mere - og familien udgav endnu en række sange med Eva Cassidy på albummet ”Songbird”, der bl.a. indeholdt Eva Cassidys meget smukke og personlige fortolkning af ”Over the Rainbow”. Netop dette nummer kom for den engelske radiovært på BBCs morgenprogram, Terry Wogans ører. Han faldt fuldstændig for nummeret og spillede det så heftigt i sit program, at det i løbet af kort tid blev et regulært hit.

Det første til en massiv efterspørgsel i England af Eva Cassidys musik - og albummet ”Songbird” gik ind som nr. 1 på den engelske hitliste. En meget dårligt optaget video af sangen blev redigeret til en meget dårlig musikvideo - og den endte med at blive det mest ønskede nummer nogensinde på TV-programmet ”Top Of The Pops” på BBC.

Siden er fulgt flere pladeudgivelser med Eva Cassidys sange - bl.a. albummet ”American Tune” som altså gik direkte ind på 1. pladsen på den engelske hitliste og forviste Robbie Williams til en lavere placering.

Vist over hele verden

TV-programmet, som DR TV nu viser, har været vist over hele verden - bl.a. har seerne krævet tre genudsendelser på svensk tv, og den amerikanske tv-station ABC blev også nødt til at genudsende programmet for at tilfredsstille sine seeres krav. Portrætprogrammet følges af den eneste koncertoptagelse, der findes med Eva Cassidy.

Og et eller andet sted ”Over the Rainbow” sidder Eva Cassidy forhåbentlig trods alt og glæder sig over, at kunne - selv efter hun er borte - gøre så mange mennesker over hele kloden glade bare med sin helt fantastiske stemme .... det hun allerhelst ville.

Pressemeddelelsen er offentliggjort 08.03.04 / 16.14

Eva Websites With Their Contents

2004-09-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

This project is just getting started, and I'd appreciate any contributions you'd like to send my way. I'd like to get links to as many Eva websites as possible, together with the links to their contents. I'd also like to know who the webmasters are and get their contact information. It is in the interest of all Eva fans and websites to get listed here. Membership in the Eva Cassidy Webring (bottom) is also important.

Eva Websites With Their Contents

Eva Cassidy Web Site - Laura Bligh (Eva's cousin)
Welcome Page
"What's New" Page
Eva's Recordings
Articles about Eva
Exclusive Interviews
Pictures
More Eva Sites
Miscellaneous
Questions and Answers
Songbird book information

Eva Cassidy - Maria Villafana
Biography
CDs & Books
Tribute Concert
Boston Globe
Photos & Art
WAMA Photos
Links

Eva Cassidy Artwork - Margaret & Anette (Eva's sisters)
Details
Ordering
Links
Gallery

Eva Cassidy 'Song by Song' - Paul Limbrick
THE EVA FILES (important link!)
Album by Album
UK CD Singles
Collectables &Memorabilia
Message Board
Credits & Acknowledgements

EVASONGS - Eva Cassidy Lyrics and Tabs Site - Henrik Thiil Nielsen & Torbjörn Skobe
The Other Side
Live At Blues Alley
Eva By Heart
Songbird
Time After Time
Imagine
American Tune
Wonderful World
No Boundaries
Method Actor
Live At Pearl's
Stray songs
Author index
Song index
Site notes
Eva links
Options
Site map
Search
Contact
Forum
Home