| New Moon Daughter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Jazz, blues | |||
| Length | 61:26 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer | Craig Street | |||
| Cassandra Wilson chronology | ||||
| ||||
New Moon Daughter is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson that was released by Blue Note in 1995. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard magazine jazz album chart and also won the Grammy Award as the Best Jazz Vocal Performance. [1]
In an interview for New York magazine, Wilson explained that the album's name comes from an old Ashanti proverb—"Sickness comes with the waning moon; the new moon cures disease". The album contains twelve songs, five of which were written by Wilson. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| DownBeat | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [5] |
| The Guardian |  [6] |
| Houston Chronicle | [7] |
| Los Angeles Times | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| The Village Voice | B− [12] |
Critical reception to New Moon Daughter was highly positive, with many critics comparing it favorably to its widely-celebrated predecessor, Blue Light 'til Dawn , and hailing it as one of the year's best. Gary Giddins wrote in 2008 for The New Yorker that both albums "uncovered her Mississippi roots, hardly noted in her earlier work, and freed her to revisit more recent pop songs, from the Monkees to U2...She also emerged as a nonpareil blues singer—a natural, reclaiming the Delta tradition of Robert Johnson and Son House. Even today, those albums convey the excitement of an artist coming into her own, testing her mettle and rejoicing in its supple strength." [13]
Howard Reich of The Chicago Tribune wrote that "Blue Light 'til Dawn was so original and haunting that one wondered whether the singer would be able to match it with her next release. Somehow, she not only has equalled the classic 1993 recording but has topped it with an even more daring album. Like its predecessor, New Moon Daughter explores a broad range of musical influences...yet Wilson bridges all of these idioms, and then some, with the incantatory nature of her phrasing, the deep amber quality of her alto and the lush and exotic instrumentation that has marked her work in recent years." [14]
Regarding her choice to include more pop material, Peter Margasak of The Chicago Reader argued that "whereas jazzers feebly covered Beatles tunes three decades ago, Wilson transforms these covers to fit her own aesthetic. Her take on U2’s Love Is Blindness turned the song into a sumptuous evocation of luminous, primordial sorrow, sculpting a highly original, moving piece of sensual beauty." [15]
A reviewer for Gramophone was generally positive about the album, praising Wilson's voice and her interpretations of the standards included. However, they said that compared to the originals, Wilson's versions may not be as powerful. They noted that with this album, Wilson appears to move away "from jazz heartlands or cutting edges and towards the embrace of 'pop cult' status." The reviewer particularly enjoyed "Skylark" (calling it "sublime") and "Last Train to Clarksville" ("a delight"). [16]
In a positive review of the album, Rolling Stone's Geoffrey Himes noted its similarity to Wilson's previous album Blue Light 'til Dawn , but added that New Moon Daughter has more feeling and a darker tone. He wrote that Wilson makes Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" "her own". Himes noted the album's overall slow tempo as a weakness, wishing for a little more rhythmic diversity. [10] Scott Yanow of AllMusic described Wilson's voice on the album as "quite bored and emotionally detached" but noted that she was "stretching herself". [3]
Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was less impressed, claiming that too many jazz singers like Wilson "have trouble figuring out what to make of their material" and arguing "most of these songs escape her attentions without a mark on them. Which isn't to mention the 'Strange Fruit' that establishes the surpassing weirdness of Billie's original, or the disastrous Monkees cover, designed to prove [Wilson] has a sense of humor I'm now convinced isn't there." [12]
The song "Death Letter" from the album was used as an opening theme in the third season of television series True Detective released in 2019. [17]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strange Fruit" | Lewis Allan | 5:33 |
| 2. | "Love Is Blindness" | Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | 4:53 |
| 3. | "Solomon Sang" | Cassandra Wilson | 5:56 |
| 4. | "Death Letter" | Son House | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Skylark" | Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Find Him" | Wilson | 4:37 |
| 7. | "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" | Hank Williams | 4:50 |
| 8. | "Last Train to Clarksville" | Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart | 5:15 |
| 9. | "Until" | Wilson | 6:29 |
| 10. | "A Little Warm Death" | Wilson | 5:43 |
| 11. | "Memphis" | Wilson | 5:04 |
| 12. | "Harvest Moon" | Neil Young | 5:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Moon River" | Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini | 5:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "32-20 Blues" | Robert Johnson | 5:23 |
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 1 |
| Billboard The Billboard 200 | 141 | |
| Billboard Heatseekers | 9 |
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. She has won numerous awards, including two Grammys, and was named "America's Best Singer" by Time magazine in 2001.
Temptation is a tribute album to Tom Waits, by Holly Cole. Originally released in Canada in 1995 on Alert Records, it was also released internationally in 1995 on the Metro Blue imprint of Capitol Records.
The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel is the sixth album by the American multi-instrumentalist Me'shell Ndegeocello, initially released in France on Universal France on February 14, 2005, and then subsequently on the Shanachie label in the United States on June 21 of the same year.
Blue Light 'til Dawn is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. Her first album on the Blue Note label, it was released in 1993. It contains Wilson's interpretations of songs by various blues and rock artists, as well as three original compositions. The album marked a shift in Wilson's recording style, mostly dropping the electric instruments of her earlier albums in favor of acoustic arrangements. A critical and commercial breakthrough, the album was re-released in 2014 with three bonus tracks recorded live somewhere in Europe during the Blue Light 'til Dawn Tour. The eponymous single was nominated for the Grammy Award as Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Blue Skies is the third studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the JMT label in 1988 and features Wilson performing ten jazz standards accompanied by Mulgrew Miller on piano, Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, and Lonnie Plaxico on bass.
Point of View is the debut studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, recorded in Brooklyn, New York, in December 1985, as the fourth release of the German JMT label in 1986. It was also one of the first albums of a group of musicians around Steve Coleman, that became known as M-Base.
Traveling Miles is the thirteenth studio album by American jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. Released on the Blue Note label in 1999, it is a tribute to Miles Davis, taking many of its cues from Davis' catalog of recordings with Columbia Records. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award as Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Glamoured is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The record was released on the Blue Note label in 2003.
Belly of the Sun is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 2002.
Thunderbird is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The record was released on the Blue Note label on April 4, 2006. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and Keefus Ciancia, both of whom also substantially contributed to the release. Among other contributors are Grégoire Maret, Jim Keltner, and Marc Ribot. In the Billboard 200 chart, the album peaked at #184; in the chart of the Best Jazz Albums of the same magazine, Thunderbird peaked at #2.
The Lynns are an American country music duo, consisting of twin sisters Peggy Lynn and Patsy Lynn, who are the youngest daughters of Oliver Lynn and singer Loretta Lynn.
Loverly is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, released in 2008 via Blue Note label. This is her second-ever album of jazz standards. Loverly won the Grammy Award as the Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2008.
Dance to the Drums Again is the seventh studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, released in 1992 via Columbia label.
Inside is a studio album by David Sanborn, released through Elektra Records in 1999. In 2000, the album won Sanborn the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.
The Messenger is the second studio album by Kurt Elling. Like Close Your Eyes the album was released by Blue Note, the production credits lie with pianist Laurence Hobgood, Elling himself and drummer Paul Wertico as co-producer. Hobgood, bassist Rob Amster and Wertico are co-billed on the album cover, establishing the piano trio –led by Hobgood up to 1619 Broadway from 2012– as the singers core backing. Amster and Wertico are nevertheless replaced on some tracks by Eric Hochberg and percussionist Jim Widlowski. A further voice is added on half of the tracks, trumpet player Orbert Davis, tenor saxophonists Edward Petersen or Eddie Johnson, and on one track literally, with Cassandra Wilson on "Time of the Season". On this song and part of the so-called 'Suite' one can also hear a guitarist, who unfortunately is not mentioned in the album credits. Besides The Zombies 1967 hit The Messenger introduces "Nature Boy" to Ellings' repertoire, two further jazz standards, an interpretation of Jimmy Heath' "Gingerbread Boy", played even more aggressive and faster as Miles Davis, and "Tanya" written by Donald Byrd, who recorded the tune only once in 1964 for Dexter Gordon's album One Flight Up. The song is informed by an ostinato of moody open chords played on piano resolved occasionally by a rather conventional hard bop theme. All other tracks are penned by the musicians themselves or even improvised like "It's Just a Thing" accompanying a story Elling declaims.
Silver Pony is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, released in November 2010 on Blue Note Records. A mixture of live and studio-recorded tracks, it was produced by Wilson and John Fischbach. The release includes jazz, blues and pop standards, as well as original music by Wilson and her band. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and singer John Legend make guest appearances.
Another Country is a studio album by singer Cassandra Wilson, featuring the guitar, songwriting and production of Italian guitarist and producer Fabrizio Sotti. The record was released on June 20, 2012 via eOne Records label.
After the Beginning Again is the sixth studio album by the American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson originally released on the JMT label in 1992 and later rereleased on Winter & Winter.
Coming Forth by Day is the sixteenth and most recent solo studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The album was released on April 6, 2015 via Legacy Recordings label.
The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show is a 2020 live album by The Monkees, recorded in March and June 2019, during the band's successful tour. The concerts marked the first time that surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith toured as a duo. The album is the first Monkees release following the death of Peter Tork in February 2019, and the final release to feature Nesmith prior to his December 2021 death.
