On this early-1990s release, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly began a string of increasingly sympathetic producers. Production, and judicious instrumentation, are crucial to Cassandra Wilson's deep, arch aesthetic. Here, her smoky voice finds a casual, sensuous, tenor-sax richness amid Bourelly's electric-guitar riffing. Her singing suggests many inspirations. Betty Carter and Nina Simone, certainly, but Ella, Sarah, and Billy echo in her poise, personality, and stylishness. Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae come to mind as well. Also formative were Wilson's 1980s contributions to New York's M-Base collective. They involved exploration of all the African-American musics then afloat. M-Base also was committed to artistic self-definition. Here, 6 of the 10 selections are by Wilson, including 'Don't Look Back,' one of her several anthems of black resilience.
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