Cassandra Wilson

The greatest jazz singer of her generation took the last train to Clarksville, Mississippi to discover the links between the blues, Bossa Nova, soul, country and pop on an album that's as celebratory as The Buena Vista Social Club and Oh, Brother Where Art Thou? And yes, this was recorded in a trailer.

With a voice as rich and caramel-y as Sarah Vaughan's, and a delivery as intimately
conversational as Joni Mitchell's, Cassandra Wilson is the perfect jazz singer for people
who don't particularly like jazz singing. She covers rock songs -- Belly of the Sun includes
"Wichita Lineman" and "The Weight" -- but doesn't pretend to be a rocker, while the
semi-acoustic arrangements have the airy sophistication of Mitchell's Hejira. Still,... More >