Seminal work from the lovely Basia – and an album that's a wonderful hybrid of jazz, soul, and pop – all put together at a level that really goes beyond most of her contemporaries! There's a vibe here that's almost like Swing Out Sister at their best – catchy, but never cloying – and done in an 80s style that refers strongly back to 60s and 70s styles, yet still keeps things quite contemporary overall. And although most of the tunes are pretty poppy, they're also pretty great, and really hold up over the years – thanks to slight undercurrents of jazzy instrumentation, of the sort you'd get from Brit artists like Working Week or Sade. Titles include "Promises", "From Now On", "Freeze Thaw", "How Dare You", "Astrud", and "Miles Away". 2CD version is amazing – and features 5 bonus instrumental tracks, plus 8 more remix tracks, and 5 more single versions, and the non-album track "Give Me That". 30 titles in all! (Soul, Vocalists) CD

A huge collection of Nina's early years at the Colpix label – with the expanded editions of 8 original albums from the end of the 50s through mid 60s – including all the groundbreaking studio recordings and landmark live material of the era! Blackbird includes the complete original albums The Amazing Nina Simone, Forbidden Fruit, Nina Simone Sings Ellington and Folksy Nina, along with the live albums At Town Hall, At Newport, At The Village Gate and At Carnegie Hall. It's a truly epic collection of her early work for Colpix – a company that first allowed her to spread her wings and develop her own unique style. 107 tracks on 8CDs – and more than 30 bonus tracks! CD