I was a sound engineer at Blues Alley when she was active. She was a kind, gentle soul. She was an impeccable human being, and deserved a far kinder end than what was given to her. I miss her to this day.
Thanks so much for sharing that little glimpse of Eva. Her sound is impecable! I would have loved to have heard her live. I do have all her CDs and just love to listen to her. Rest in ☮️ Eva!!💚
I am today pushing 70 years old. There are three musical moments that I at any time, can recall vividly and remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard an artist. The first was in 1963 when I heard the Beatles sing, From Me To You, on my sister's upstairs radio. I couldn't move. I sat at the bottom of those stairs and just listened. I was entranced. The second moment was in 1970 when I was brushing my teeth while listening to a transitor radio in the bathroom, when Elton John's, Your Song came on. It blew me away, I was mesmerized. Many years later, I guess around 2000, Napster was a big thing. I was downloading all kinds of music for free. Someone tagged a file: "the greatest cover ever made", on a track called Fields of Gold, a Sting song covered by Eva Cassidy. I downloaded it, turned it on. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the most beautiful, heart wrenching thing I had ever heard. I first thought was, what a great new singer! I soon read her biography and learned that she was dead. Today, it is still devastating to me. I had them play, Eva's Over the Rainbow, at my mother's funeral. It fit my mood perfectly.
one of the only voices I can give that "voice of an angel" moniker too. because its tragically true, as well. Hope if there is an afterlife she knows how appreciated she is.
I've sung in choirs all my life but I have no idea for the love of all that is holy how she is able to hit the head voice 'dreeeeeams' right near the end of the most intense section with such clarity, purity, mezzo forte volume with abandon - almost like you cross bred a flute, a bell and a Canadian loon calling over a still lake at night and then let it take flight.
I first heard Eva performing this song at the end of a Tim Allen movie, Joe Somebody. I was awestruck and went to the credits to see who the artist was and then went out and purchased two of her CD’s. Her ability to demonstrate emotion in the performance of her music is incredible.
In 2002, a college friend called me over to listen to the Blues Alley album: "You HAVE to come over and listen to this!" What can I say? I had tears in my eyes. I had never - and still haven't heard anything - like, ANYTHING like her voice. In memoriam Eva Cassidy.
In a documentary about that Blues Alley recording, the band mates relate that they convinced her that they really needed her to play a little rhythm guitar to fill out the sound. And, Eva being Eva...........
I actually was lucky enough to see this performance. A friend told me about her and said how brilliant she was and we had to see her. I will never forget her. I've been listening since this show and have introduced her to quite a few friends. The emotion in her voice and her guitar playing is so instinctual and raw. She was taken from us too soon. Thank you for introducing her to a whole new audience. She was one of a kind!!!!
"guitar playing raw". I am ok with that if you mean supple, ..well, no, I don't get it. It's a very elaborated and more than often subtly articulated guitar play. Anyway both of us feel an emotion and that's what matters.
Yes, I agree with you 100%. When I said raw I meant how, in my opinion, she is sharing her vulnerability in her singing and playing. And yes, for me it’s very emotional as well.
Thank you for this post. I don’t know if you are aware, but she gave a last performance for friends and family shortly before she died. She was so heavily medicated for the pain that she had to be helped onto the stage. She wanted to give those that loved her a last gift. The song she chose to sing… ‘ It’s a wonderful world’. I’m a retired police officer and the last 23 years of my career I was a forensic investigator. I listen to her songs to help me through those days when memories are dark and sad. Her voice and ability to make the songs her own is a true wonder. Liked and subscribed. Cheers from Canada 👍🇨🇦🏹
Love your comments and agree 100%. I played lead guitar behind Leon Smith and many other artists, but NONE of them made me weep like Eva does. I have spent so many hours analyzing WHY she has this effect on so many people, and I have come up mostly blank besides the obvious: her dynamic range was unreal -- she could belt with the best and sing softly like no one else. Her vibrato was soooo smooth and effortless, and her phrasing, OMG. Peerless. One of a kind. My favorite vocalist of all-time and it's not even close. Thank you for this excellent reaction video.
the story goes that she nearly didn't do this gig because she was still getting over a cold and thought her voice may not handle the gig. There are two moments when the voice breaks off a little at the end of a line but still THE most beautiful version ever made of this song.
Understandably, folks never talk about her guitar playing, but good Lord was she a fantastic guitar player as well. The stuff she played was very technical, had incredible feel, and her execution was flawless!! Now, back to listening to her voice.
Cassidy treats this song as a BLUES. That's why it brings so many to tears. It is about the realization of a dream that is forever just beyond reach. It is about LOSS. Ironically her interpretation directly applies to what happened to her.
over the Rainbow was the first song i heard by Eva. I was shopping in a little gift shop and they were playing this. I stopped in my tracks to listen. Went directly to the clerk and asked who was singing. They had a couple of her CD's. Bought both. That was about 20 years ago. I have at least 10 now. She has become my favorite singer and i never thought i would find a singer i loved as much as those i listened to in my youth. Wish she was still with us. ❤️
It was the radio presenter Terry Wogan that brought Eva to the attention of the British public. Terry thought Eva had a beautiful voice and would frequently rave about her and play her songs on his radio show. I only had to listen to her singing Somewhere over the Rainbow, and I was hooked. A pure and beautiful voice that will live on.
My good friend from the UK said when this was played on the radio people, including him, pulled over to the side of the road to just listen to Eva sing this song.
Thank you for your sincere and beautiful review of Eva's work. I wish there was more of her music available, I have loved and completely enjoyed everything I have heard her sing and play.
Sammie Cohen Sorry but young Lucy Thomas did a better cover version of this song, Lucy is a better more technical singer. Look her up and watch and listen to perfection on "Lucy Thomas Music" on You Tube !!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 each and to his own! I found it technical and soulless! She can't touch Eva Cassidy's emotion, emoting, and soul! Also why didn't she playing her own instrument like Eva? Her voice is impressive but nothing about it grabs me by my soul. I also hear a lot of reverb in it. Is that some kind of vocal assistance? As another voice critic on RUclips said of Eva, take emotional perfection over technical perfection every time. Other great classic composers have said something similar. So your person is good, but not better, at best different unless you are just a fan of professional training and technique.
The dynamics in this performance are incredible, and her guitar playing is fantastic - rising and falling perfectly in the right places to allow her voice to shine. There is a ton of compression on the vocal track to get that amount of detail and clarity in the soft passages but her mic technique was also fantastic. Such a sad loss of a beautiful talent.
oh my goodness - reading these comments just affirm that i'm not the only one who feels so much emotion listening to Eva! i never could explain why or how she could move me with her voice. the power of the human voice, and of beautiful music. what a talent - and to think that she is singing in heaven now, makes me cannot wait to go! RIP sweetheart
You say, "She didn't know how talented she was." What makes you think that SHE thought in those terms? Perhaps a consideration like that simply didn't occur to her or if it did, it might have been a very fleeting thought with no real weight to it. She was so young and just lived her life doing what she enjoyed. The thought of "how good one is" is inherently ego based because it's suggests a comparison to others. If she were thinking like that, guess what...she wouldn't have been the singer she was.
@@howardrobinson4938 You can be conscious of your own talent and not have it affect your performance. It's a wonderful thing to have confidence and know you're good at what you do, even great. Or at least to know that others think that. And the reason I think that about her is because I've read articles that talk about how shy she was for a long time, how much she undersold herself because she thought she wasn't that special. She didn't understand how much she affected people until the end.
@@meghanmonroe It's likely that really great performers are not affected by their consideration of how talented they are because when they are really great, they are lost in their performance, giving it their all. They are not thinking, "Damn, I'm killing this!" Watching Eva, one can see that this is definitely the case. You say she undersold herself. Not sure what that means? Maybe you think that means she didn't actively get out there with sexy revealing clothing and dance all over to "entertain" a crowd and "try" to become famous. You know, really, this singer was so good and left us with the body of work that exists for people to enjoy for as long as our species lasts. And that is good enough. There was and is no better, no more honest singer. There may never be another. It would be nice if folks would keep their "opinions" and interpretations of "the Greats" lives to themselves and let their art BE. BE. BE. Eva Cassidy allowed herself to Be. To simply Be. You, Meghan, say, "She's probably one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard." That word "probably"? Why would you use that? Is it because you fancy yourself an authority on voices? And why just say "voices"? How about "singers", because Eva had the voice, the phrasing, the excellent interpretation, and very, very, deep feeling. Meghan, it sounds like you believe she was short-changed in life by not having her ego stroked. I don't think she cared for that. And I think there probably are many reasons a person could be stage-shy beyond thinking they're not good enough. Don't be sad for ANY reason about Eva Cassidy. It was HER life. And she lived it just fine.
Her guitar is an extension of her voice. It sounds like a guitar version of her own voice. Absolutely beautiful. So moving. I get emotional every time I hear her sing, whether it’s this or Fields of Gold or Autumn Leaves or any of the beautiful works of ART she left us.
Eva's version of this brings tears to my eyes every single time. Clearly not the song itself, but the way she sings and pulls the emotion out of me. She was amazing.
If angels could sing, they would sound like Eva Cassidy. Her vocals is an absolute gift, it's music that touches my soul. Thank you sharing this video 🇿🇦
This is Eva’s alone. It is the version that everyone copies now. Not knowing Eva, they give credit to the artist copying this version. I was blessed to see Eva at Blues Alley in Georgetown. Heaven listens to her now and forever. I hope you know how loved you are Eva 💖💓✨🎶. We miss you 🌸
labradoreadore Sorry but Young Lucy Thomas did a better cover of this song, and acknowledged it was Eva's version, then sang the song and claimed it !!! Lucy out sings Eva and has a happy version. See Lucy's version on you tube and enjoy and be impressed !! !
It is NOT Eva's alone as Lucy Thomas did a cover as a tribute to Eva and did her own happy version, out singing and performing Eva in the process !!! A fantastic version !! !
@@wilburfinnigan2142 Wilbur, I guess that’s why they make chocolate strawberry and vanilla everyone has a different flavor and opinion! After listening to Lucy Thomas, sing over the rainbow numerous times, I’ve come to the conclusion she has a splendid voice, but doesn’t do justice compared to Eva! One of the greatest things about Eva’s performances and singing is that she owns the songs that she sings even though they are covers. Keep spinning and enjoy the music 🔊🎶🎶🎶✌🏻
Her lack of ego astonishes me. How could anyone with such a voice not think themself very talented. Although she never got to experience the fame her voice deserved, what a beautiful legacy she left.
Judy Garland sings it like she's been there (somewhere over the rainbow) and it's so amazing she has to sing about it. Eva sings it like she's in a very sad place and she wishes so much that she could go away there. Brings me to tears every time.
During the last word she sings on this performance "I", it is emotion that caused her to have a little break up in enunciation. You can see her surprise at that, especially in her eyebrows. I think that display of emotion makes it much better.
Vulnerable. Wispy. Intimate. Tender. Inspiring. Melancholy. Angelic. Hopeful. Heart-rending. All are words to describe her vocals, and the range of emotions I get listening to this track. And I usually listen alone, with a box of kleenex at the ready, because she demolishes me. Every. Single. Time. And I've listened to this, the platinum standard of this song, at least a hundred times or more. This is Eva's song, all other versions pale in comparison, there are none finer.
Well, get yourself a Case of Kleenex; for you will Surely need one. Try “Nightbird.” She sang it so well, that the actual Writer stopped performing it. He said, “What else can I Do with this?” He just Loved it. She covered so many Classics; written and performed before I was even born. R&B, Jazz, Blues, Gospel. She did it all. She was gone before I even heard of her. Miss her anyway. RIP, Songbird.🙏🏾♥️🕊 (Btw: your description of her singing this one was Spot On. It describes the way she sang Many more songs with these very qualities. Enjoy.🥹🕊)
Amir Fazadh I would suggest YOU look up young Lucy THomas here on You Tube and listen to Lucy's version of the cover of this song and you WILL change your mind about there being none finer than Eva's...because Lucy's version is !!!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 Yes, Lucy is a good singer, now let her sing and accompany herself on guitar, then we will judge. Check out Emily Linge who sings beautifully and accompanies herself on guitar or piano. Now she is a real artist.
Sadly, she was gone before the end of that year. I’ve listened to this so many times, but it never fails to make me cry. I read somewhere that she actually had a cold when she performed that night. What a gift she had…
Someone from Britain heard this and got a DJ to play it. It went to number 1 on their charts. I've been listening since the 90's when I found Songbird at a used bookstore. She has the purest voice I've ever heard... and effortless.
When you hear her sing, it's no longer her doing a "COVER" of other songs, it's like she puts ALL THE PAGES in the BOOK and the other songs then become the 'COVER' [🎤mic drop]...
My daughter is an opera singer, and and her voice is so beautiful that I have seen people weep when she sings. And I do too. A few years ago she told me, "Oh mom, you need to listen to Eva Cassidy sing Over the Rainbow!
I moved to Annapolis (where she lived and often sang) in 1996, the year she died. I never got a chance to see her live, and I kick myself every day for that. She's the most emotional singer I've ever heard. I never tire of her music.
She sings like where did she get her emotion? Very mysterious. Very deep. The most beautiful rendition of this song. Truly unpredictable. Can’t describe.
I’m with you. how do you put into words what is obvious total authenticity and connection to her heart when she sings. An incredibly rare gift, and I hear it every single time I listen to her. And Marvel, in gratitude. Thank you Eva. I’m a full-time musician and this is what most of us are striving for.❤
I am a late comer to Eva 3 years ago at 58 years of age and as far as I am concerned she is the greatest female singer I have ever heard as well as a fantastic guitar player. I listen often to Eva and also Pavarotti the greatest male singer ever they lift my mood and make me happy. Is there a biography about Eva as I would love to read her story. GOD BLESS ALL.
Stunning performance. I have a story. Many years ago I was at a record store in suburban Adelaide and I heard a female singing American Tune. I asked the Sales person who is this? Oh that's Eva Cassidy. I had seen her CD's around, but never heard her sing, or her story. Guess what I did? I bought the CD Immediately. And I think Mr Simon loved her version.
I've grew up listening to her. My Uncle Lenny playing piano Performed and Recorded with her. My Favorite Song is this one and also "Tall Trees in Georgia"
I don't think there are conscious decisions made on her part. She seems to operate on an instinctive/intuitive level that most humans never achieve. It truly is the most natural. and beautiful thing I've ever witnessed, and not only the vocal but her whole presence, her humanity. Love her..
I just found out about this artist . I'm dumb founded, I never heard of her 'till tonight. she's absolutely amazing. I mean I like and adore everything I've heard. I'm so glad my friend introduced her. she is the real deal. also I love how she sings over phrases. and with such commitment, precision and bravado. like it's the way we should all sing!!!!!! killer Chord choices!!!!!!! what function.!!! thank you for appreciating this artist. I'm humbled.
Just recently found your channel (via American Idol search). Love how you break down a song and are willing to provide praise as well as criticism of the singer's choices. Eva is one of my favorites. She destroyed this song all time for any other singer. What she did to this song (that I did not hear you say directly but you hinted around with other adjectives), is that she took what is essentially the top movie/children's/hope-filled song of all time and converted it to a lament. What rips the listener apart is that her vocal choices and key emote that she does not believe the sentiment and feels that it is just beyond her reach. The sadness brings the listener to tears every time.
Just ran across your review of one of my absolute all time favorite artists. She is often overlooked and I so appreciate your respectful comments. Eva was truly a gifted singer and guitar player. Thank you for sharing her lovely voice!
Great reaction. She makes me emotional every time I hear her. Especially this song and Songbird as well as Fields of Gold. The latter cover brought Sting to tears. He did not like people covering that song, But Eva totally owned it.
After Sting heard Eva sing his song .... yes, he WAS brought to tears and thereafter said that hers was the better version, the better sung. Yes, tears.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've been an Eva Cassidy fan since the mid 1990s. Hearing this song for the first time was very emotional for me.... I always thought Eva sang this song as she did because she was IN the rainbow.
Year's ago the first time I heard her singing on the radio. I had to stop what I was doing. Stand at my radio and just listen. It was music love. I'm a big big fan.
Yes, she was a genuine, rare gift to the music world. After discovering her, I was so very sad to learn at the same time that she had already left us. Eva was a rare gift and blessed us all with often forgotten emotions.
Please note ..... she was near death when she gave this performance ..... her voice "DIES AWAY" at the end of A LYRIC LINE ..... as did she before the end of this same year ! FYI jj
It's hard to imagine that anyone who heard this live had a dry eye through the entire performance. Knowing what happens in her life shortly after this doesn't help. That said, there are so many attributes of this performance to comment on, it's really difficult just to summarize it in a few words. I'm not a singer, but this version of "Over The Rainbow" is one of those performances that catapults you through so many emotions that you're not even sure if you landed softly. The mind wanders with her phrasing and intensity, as you say - hanging on the thought of where is she going next - only to drift back down, and then up "over the rainbow", up high. Her performance is masterful in the way she makes you feel her emotion and yours at the same time sea-sawing back and forth as between her voice and the guitar accompaniment. Both thoughts melting into a sea of clouds and "what could have been". Her voice is pure, vibrant, challenging and soft - all in the same phrase, and, it just works. The loss of her expected vocal clarity and breathe, at the end, leaves me a bit sad. Feels like a harsh landing for a truly memorable journey, and ironically enough, imitates life's reality. Perhaps it was the emotion in her thoughts at that moment or something else. I felt a bit robbed, as she was, of what should have been. That said, this rendition remains my favorite "Over the Rainbow" recording. Eva, your songs and voice are lifting all of us up. Fly, baby, Fly.
Her performance of Autumn Leaves (Blues Alley) brings me to tears listening to it. How many vocalists can bring such emotions out of their listeners, ever notice the end of this song, the last notes... If you sense Eva's getting emotional and you feel for her.
Her voice is perfection. Her rendition of "Fields of Gold" is the best. Simply sublime. Thank you for remembering her. New sub here, longtime fan of Eva.
Thank you. I've been an Eva Cassidy fan since the first time I heard her, and it was a song on this Blue Alley performance that hooked me. I knew immediately, that she was something very special. She so completely inhabited a song in a way that almost didn't seem like a performance. Her delivery seems to come from her soul, as if it was an expression of something deep inside her that needed to be expressed. Unlike many performers, who's style comes across as passionate and expressive, but feels to me like.all the vocal embellishments are meant to impress, Eva's singing always feels deeply personal, authentic, and completely unforced, natural. Among some of my other favorites are "Autumn Leaves", "Tall Trees in Georgia", and "Fields of Gold". I too wonder what she would have achieved had her life not ended so early, but I am grateful that there were recordings made we can still enjoy!
Eric Clapton said her version of 'Fields of Gold', is best he ever heard, and liked it far better than his original. Paul McCartney wanted to work with her, but it was too late. She is an astounding performer. She was hugely popular in the UK helped along by radio host, Terry Wogan.
When Eva was playing clubs in DC she opened for some bands I liked and was always great. But DC was a funk music town and what really made headlines was when Chuck Brown, the Go Go master made a duet album with Eva. Go Go is hardcore funk with no breaks between songs. A Chuck Brown concert was two or three hours of pounding funk. When he announced and then actually released a duet album with Eva (that included Over the Rainbow) that was news. There were interviews since Chuck was probably the best known DC based musician in the 70's, 80's, and 90's and Chuck was cool. He just said she's a great singer and I want people to know there is more to me than Go Go. Mick Fleetwood had a club near DC and I think she played there every time he was in town. Fleetwood and Brown tried to give her the opportunity for a bigger career but it never seemed like she wanted a bigger music career. I think the Chuck Brown record was the only record released while she was alive. At least it was the only one I knew of until years after she died.
This is an amazing and beautiful performance. What's really interesting is that she ends it straight, but decorates it with a super tasty guitar modulation. Wow.
Most individuals who respond to Eva's technique often overlook her exceptional guitar skills. From my perspective, she skillfully crafts the vocal phrases to harmoniously complement the chord progression, rather than the other way around. The truly remarkable aspect is the seamless synchronization between the guitar and vocals, creating a captivating ebb and flow of dynamics.
What's beautiful about Eva Cassidy she doesn't over sing. She doesn't need to impress us we are hooked from the start. By the purity of her voice the power is just a bonus. Still got her book in my bedside table. And that's where it will stay.
You can read her bio. She grew up in the church choir and her dad taught her to play guitar that way. All in house home schooled. And she draws. You could say it's "Naif" style. Watching these reactions analyses of Eva confirms what I felt when I discovered her and played true to her style years ago. I'm in a lull now after my mama died. I hope I play guitar and sing again one day.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HiCxoDeo0hc/mqdefault.jpg)
I was a sound engineer at Blues Alley when she was active. She was a kind, gentle soul. She was an impeccable human being, and deserved a far kinder end than what was given to her. I miss her to this day.
Thanks so much for sharing that little glimpse of Eva. Her sound is impecable! I would have loved to have heard her live. I do have all her CDs and just love to listen to her. Rest in ☮️ Eva!!💚
She is amazing!
Sending you love 🙏
@@michellemonet4358 just her. She was kind, and gentle. I was just a fly on the wall. She was nice to me, and made me cry when she sang.
You're lucky to have been a good part of her days at the Alley and a witness to her beautiful music.
I am today pushing 70 years old. There are three musical moments that I at any time, can recall vividly and remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard an artist. The first was in 1963 when I heard the Beatles sing, From Me To You, on my sister's upstairs radio. I couldn't move. I sat at the bottom of those stairs and just listened. I was entranced. The second moment was in 1970 when I was brushing my teeth while listening to a transitor radio in the bathroom, when Elton John's, Your Song came on. It blew me away, I was mesmerized. Many years later, I guess around 2000, Napster was a big thing. I was downloading all kinds of music for free. Someone tagged a file: "the greatest cover ever made", on a track called Fields of Gold, a Sting song covered by Eva Cassidy. I downloaded it, turned it on. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the most beautiful, heart wrenching thing I had ever heard. I first thought was, what a great new singer! I soon read her biography and learned that she was dead. Today, it is still devastating to me. I had them play, Eva's Over the Rainbow, at my mother's funeral. It fit my mood perfectly.
Beautifully said- thanks for sharing!😶🙏🏼🌟
Let's also acknowledge Eva's natural amazing pitch.
In my opinion, Eva Cassidy was one of the best female voices of the 20th century.
indubitably
Absolutely
She died much much too early.... :-(
I'd say one one of the best since singing was discovered :)
one of the only voices I can give that "voice of an angel" moniker too. because its tragically true, as well. Hope if there is an afterlife she knows how appreciated she is.
Hands down
Rarely has an artist ever touched my heart, my deepest emotions so intensely like Eva Cassidy...
I've sung in choirs all my life but I have no idea for the love of all that is holy how she is able to hit the head voice 'dreeeeeams' right near the end of the most intense section with such clarity, purity, mezzo forte volume with abandon - almost like you cross bred a flute, a bell and a Canadian loon calling over a still lake at night and then let it take flight.
I first heard Eva performing this song at the end of a Tim Allen movie, Joe Somebody. I was awestruck and went to the credits to see who the artist was and then went out and purchased two of her CD’s. Her ability to demonstrate emotion in the performance of her music is incredible.
In 2002, a college friend called me over to listen to the Blues Alley album: "You HAVE to come over and listen to this!"
What can I say? I had tears in my eyes. I had never - and still haven't heard anything - like, ANYTHING like her voice.
In memoriam Eva Cassidy.
as good a singer as she was...it's often overlooked how good a guitarist she was.
The breathtaking dance between her vocal and her guitar playing ... unmatched. ❤🎵🦋
In a documentary about that Blues Alley recording, the band mates relate that they convinced her that they really needed her to play a little rhythm guitar to fill out the sound. And, Eva being Eva...........
Couldn't agree with you more!
I don't know how anyone could overlook her guitar playing, ãbsolutely impeccable!!
exactly - she matches her dynamic phrasing in her voice in guitar so dextrously and powerfully it's awe inspiring
I actually was lucky enough to see this performance. A friend told me about her and said how brilliant she was and we had to see her. I will never forget her. I've been listening since this show and have introduced her to quite a few friends. The emotion in her voice and her guitar playing is so instinctual and raw. She was taken from us too soon. Thank you for introducing her to a whole new audience. She was one of a kind!!!!
So lucky
"guitar playing raw". I am ok with that if you mean supple, ..well, no, I don't get it. It's a very elaborated and more than often subtly articulated guitar play. Anyway both of us feel an emotion and that's what matters.
What a wonderful memory for you. Eva was beyond Incredible!
Yes, I agree with you 100%. When I said raw I meant how, in my opinion, she is sharing her vulnerability in her singing and playing. And yes, for me it’s very emotional as well.
So lucky, such a beautiful voice. Listen to her when I am quiet and can enjoy her music.
She takes my breath away.
Thank you for this post. I don’t know if you are aware, but she gave a last performance for friends and family shortly before she died. She was so heavily medicated for the pain that she had to be helped onto the stage. She wanted to give those that loved her a last gift. The song she chose to sing… ‘
It’s a wonderful world’. I’m a retired police officer and the last 23 years of my career I was a forensic investigator. I listen to her songs to help me through those days when memories are dark and sad. Her voice and ability to make the songs her own is a true wonder. Liked and subscribed. Cheers from Canada 👍🇨🇦🏹
Her singing is very personal, like a mother singing to her child as the child is going to sleep. She sings directly to the listener.
Love your comments and agree 100%. I played lead guitar behind Leon Smith and many other artists, but NONE of them made me weep like Eva does. I have spent so many hours analyzing WHY she has this effect on so many people, and I have come up mostly blank besides the obvious: her dynamic range was unreal -- she could belt with the best and sing softly like no one else. Her vibrato was soooo smooth and effortless, and her phrasing, OMG. Peerless. One of a kind. My favorite vocalist of all-time and it's not even close. Thank you for this excellent reaction video.
I believe this beautiful singer had caught a glimpse of heaven over the rainbow when she performed this! ❤❤
the story goes that she nearly didn't do this gig because she was still getting over
a cold and thought her voice may not handle the gig. There are two moments when
the voice breaks off a little at the end of a line but still THE most beautiful version
ever made of this song.
Understandably, folks never talk about her guitar playing, but good Lord was she a fantastic guitar player as well. The stuff she played was very technical, had incredible feel, and her execution was flawless!!
Now, back to listening to her voice.
Cassidy treats this song as a BLUES. That's why it brings so many to tears. It is about the realization of a dream that is forever just beyond reach. It is about LOSS. Ironically her interpretation directly applies to what happened to her.
I actually love her running out of air at the very end....it's so natural and beautiful and vulnerable. Rest in peace. What a talent she was!
This gentleman understands Eva’s singing.
Thanks Andrew! Really appreciate your feedback 🤗
over the Rainbow was the first song i heard by Eva. I was shopping in a little gift shop and they were playing this. I stopped in my tracks to listen. Went directly to the clerk and asked who was singing. They had a couple of her CD's. Bought both. That was about 20 years ago. I have at least 10 now. She has become my favorite singer and i never thought i would find a singer i loved as much as those i listened to in my youth. Wish she was still with us. ❤️
It was the radio presenter Terry Wogan that brought Eva to the attention of the British public. Terry thought Eva had a beautiful voice and would frequently rave about her and play her songs on his radio show. I only had to listen to her singing Somewhere over the Rainbow, and I was hooked. A pure and beautiful voice that will live on.
My good friend from the UK said when this was played on the radio people, including him, pulled over to the side of the road to just listen to Eva sing this song.
Thank you for your sincere and beautiful review of Eva's work. I wish there was more of her music available, I have loved and completely enjoyed everything I have heard her sing and play.
And her intonation is spot on. Perfect pitch
how so very very delightful and respectful you are talking about that sweet soul. Thank you
It's a spiritual experience listening to Eva sing this song. No one has ever come close to this cover. She is one very special, beautiful soul.
not just this song.. she has the voice of the angels
Absolutely, so glad you brought that up, one never doubts a higher plane of life after hearing her.
Sammie Cohen Sorry but young Lucy Thomas did a better cover version of this song, Lucy is a better more technical singer. Look her up and watch and listen to perfection on "Lucy Thomas Music" on You Tube !!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 will do. Never heard her name. I’ll try my best to keep an open mind!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 each and to his own! I found it technical and soulless! She can't touch Eva Cassidy's emotion, emoting, and soul! Also why didn't she playing her own instrument like Eva?
Her voice is impressive but nothing about it grabs me by my soul. I also hear a lot of reverb in it. Is that some kind of vocal assistance?
As another voice critic on RUclips said of Eva, take emotional perfection over technical perfection every time. Other great classic composers have said something similar. So your person is good, but not better, at best different unless you are just a fan of professional training and technique.
Thank God someone recorded it. Stunning
Agreed, Elizabeth! Thanks for watching!
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The rest of the recording is excellent too. Live at Blues Alley.
The dynamics in this performance are incredible, and her guitar playing is fantastic - rising and falling perfectly in the right places to allow her voice to shine. There is a ton of compression on the vocal track to get that amount of detail and clarity in the soft passages but her mic technique was also fantastic. Such a sad loss of a beautiful talent.
oh my goodness - reading these comments just affirm that i'm not the only one who feels so much emotion listening to Eva! i never could explain why or how she could move me with her voice. the power of the human voice, and of beautiful music. what a talent - and to think that she is singing in heaven now, makes me cannot wait to go! RIP sweetheart
I'm a Classically trained singer and I've loved her since 2001...she is ANGELIC...ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS VOICE AND HER MUSICALITY BEYOND BRILLIANT....😇
Eva is my favorite singer of all time - could listen to her all day long - she takes me places no one else can
Agreed, Steve... thanks for watching!
@@JohanBesterYourVocalCoach
Perfection does exist.😯
She showed it to us. 🙏
It makes me sad to think she didn't know how talented she was for most of her life. She's probably one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.
Listen to young Lucy Thomas and you will change your mind.....IF you are honest with yourself !!!
You say, "She didn't know how talented she was." What makes you think that SHE thought in those terms? Perhaps a consideration like that simply didn't occur to her or if it did, it might have been a very fleeting thought with no real weight to it. She was so young and just lived her life doing what she enjoyed. The thought of "how good one is" is inherently ego based because it's suggests a comparison to others. If she were thinking like that, guess what...she wouldn't have been the singer she was.
@@howardrobinson4938 You can be conscious of your own talent and not have it affect your performance. It's a wonderful thing to have confidence and know you're good at what you do, even great. Or at least to know that others think that. And the reason I think that about her is because I've read articles that talk about how shy she was for a long time, how much she undersold herself because she thought she wasn't that special. She didn't understand how much she affected people until the end.
@@meghanmonroe It's likely that really great performers are not affected by their consideration of how talented they are because when they are really great, they are lost in their performance, giving it their all. They are not thinking, "Damn, I'm killing this!" Watching Eva, one can see that this is definitely the case. You say she undersold herself. Not sure what that means? Maybe you think that means she didn't actively get out there with sexy revealing clothing and dance all over to "entertain" a crowd and "try" to become famous. You know, really, this singer was so good and left us with the body of work that exists for people to enjoy for as long as our species lasts. And that is good enough. There was and is no better, no more honest singer. There may never be another. It would be nice if folks would keep their "opinions" and interpretations of "the Greats" lives to themselves and let their art BE. BE. BE. Eva Cassidy allowed herself to Be. To simply Be.
You, Meghan, say, "She's probably one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard." That word "probably"? Why would you use that? Is it because you fancy yourself an authority on voices? And why just say "voices"? How about "singers", because Eva had the voice, the phrasing, the excellent interpretation, and very, very, deep feeling. Meghan, it sounds like you believe she was short-changed in life by not having her ego stroked. I don't think she cared for that. And I think there probably are many reasons a person could be stage-shy beyond thinking they're not good enough. Don't be sad for ANY reason about Eva Cassidy. It was HER life. And she lived it just fine.
@@howardrobinson4938 This discussion and your assumptions about me and my opinions are making me tired. Have a great life Howard.
Her guitar is an extension of her voice. It sounds like a guitar version of her own voice. Absolutely beautiful. So moving. I get emotional every time I hear her sing, whether it’s this or Fields of Gold or Autumn Leaves or any of the beautiful works of ART she left us.
‘A singer who connects with my heart…” very much sums up why she is so special.
Eva's version of this brings tears to my eyes every single time. Clearly not the song itself, but the way she sings and pulls the emotion out of me. She was amazing.
her version of this is truly the best version of this song.. nobody does it better .. ♥
If angels could sing, they would sound like Eva Cassidy. Her vocals is an absolute gift, it's music that touches my soul. Thank you sharing this video 🇿🇦
This is Eva’s alone. It is the version that everyone copies now. Not knowing Eva, they give credit to the artist copying this version. I was blessed to see Eva at Blues Alley in Georgetown. Heaven listens to her now and forever. I hope you know how loved you are Eva 💖💓✨🎶. We miss you 🌸
Amen! And wow, you were blessed indeed to hear her live 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
labradoreadore Sorry but Young Lucy Thomas did a better cover of this song, and acknowledged it was Eva's version, then sang the song and claimed it !!! Lucy out sings Eva and has a happy version. See Lucy's version on you tube and enjoy and be impressed !! !
It is NOT Eva's alone as Lucy Thomas did a cover as a tribute to Eva and did her own happy version, out singing and performing Eva in the process !!! A fantastic version !! !
@@wilburfinnigan2142
Wilbur, I guess that’s why they make chocolate strawberry and vanilla everyone has a different flavor and opinion!
After listening to Lucy Thomas, sing over the rainbow numerous times, I’ve come to the conclusion she has a splendid voice, but doesn’t do justice compared to Eva!
One of the greatest things about Eva’s performances and singing is that she owns the songs that she sings even though they are covers.
Keep spinning and enjoy the music 🔊🎶🎶🎶✌🏻
Her lack of ego astonishes me. How could anyone with such a voice not think themself very talented. Although she never got to experience the fame her voice deserved, what a beautiful legacy she left.
She was / is an angel. So special. To & from the heart. May she be blessed on her journey.
Judy Garland sings it like she's been there (somewhere over the rainbow) and it's so amazing she has to sing about it. Eva sings it like she's in a very sad place and she wishes so much that she could go away there. Brings me to tears every time.
Nice way to put it... Thanks for watching, James!
During the last word she sings on this performance "I", it is emotion that caused her to have a little break up in enunciation. You can see her surprise at that, especially in her eyebrows. I think that display of emotion makes it much better.
@Bobb Grimley Yikes.... Good point!!!
A really great observation, James, well said.
Great analogy
Vulnerable. Wispy. Intimate. Tender. Inspiring. Melancholy. Angelic. Hopeful. Heart-rending. All are words to describe her vocals, and the range of emotions I get listening to this track. And I usually listen alone, with a box of kleenex at the ready, because she demolishes me. Every. Single. Time. And I've listened to this, the platinum standard of this song, at least a hundred times or more. This is Eva's song, all other versions pale in comparison, there are none finer.
Well, get yourself a Case of Kleenex; for you will Surely need one.
Try “Nightbird.” She sang it so well, that the actual Writer stopped performing it. He said, “What else can I Do with this?” He just Loved it.
She covered so many Classics; written and performed before I was even born.
R&B, Jazz, Blues, Gospel. She did it all.
She was gone before I even heard of her.
Miss her anyway.
RIP, Songbird.🙏🏾♥️🕊
(Btw: your description of her singing this one was Spot On. It describes the way she sang Many more songs with these very qualities. Enjoy.🥹🕊)
She demolishes me. Every. Single. Time. (You nailed it!)
i like also a what a wonderful world cover by her.Eva Cassidy.
Amir Fazadh I would suggest YOU look up young Lucy THomas here on You Tube and listen to Lucy's version of the cover of this song and you WILL change your mind about there being none finer than Eva's...because Lucy's version is !!!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 Yes, Lucy is a good singer, now let her sing and accompany herself on guitar, then we will judge. Check out Emily Linge who sings beautifully and accompanies herself on guitar or piano. Now she is a real artist.
Sadly, she was gone before the end of that year. I’ve listened to this so many times, but it never fails to make me cry. I read somewhere that she actually had a cold when she performed that night. What a gift she had…
Someone from Britain heard this and got a DJ to play it. It went to number 1 on their charts. I've been listening since the 90's when I found Songbird at a used bookstore. She has the purest voice I've ever heard... and effortless.
When you hear her sing, it's no longer her doing a "COVER" of other songs, it's like she puts ALL THE PAGES in the BOOK and the other songs then become the 'COVER' [🎤mic drop]...
Her voice and guitar mastery is what Heaven must sound like 💖
Eva gets the Golden Buzzer for the best cover performance of this song - WOW!
Her timing and phrasing are wonderful too. What a musician she was.
My daughter is an opera singer, and and her voice is so beautiful that I have seen people weep when she sings. And I do too. A few years ago she told me, "Oh mom, you need to listen to Eva Cassidy sing Over the Rainbow!
When I hear her voice, I think of a fragile crystal glass.
I moved to Annapolis (where she lived and often sang) in 1996, the year she died. I never got a chance to see her live, and I kick myself every day for that. She's the most emotional singer I've ever heard. I never tire of her music.
Wow, Matt.... at least it was recorded for all of us to enjoy over and over 🎶
I lived in Washington, D.C. when she was performing there but didn't know of her and never saw her. I regret that SO much.
She sings like where did she get her emotion? Very mysterious. Very deep.
The most beautiful rendition of this song.
Truly unpredictable. Can’t describe.
I feel the same as you, Divina!
She sing a sad version because she was dying of cancer !!! But a better version, yes better is young Lucy Thomas, here on You Tube and her CD !!!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 are you just a big fan of hers or are you in some way being compensated or in the promotion game?
I’m with you. how do you put into words what is obvious total authenticity and connection to her heart when she sings. An incredibly rare gift, and I hear it every single time I listen to her. And Marvel, in gratitude. Thank you Eva. I’m a full-time musician and this is what most of us are striving for.❤
I am a late comer to Eva 3 years ago at 58 years of age and as far as I am concerned she is the greatest female singer I have ever heard as well as a fantastic guitar player. I listen often to Eva and also Pavarotti the greatest male singer ever they lift my mood and make me happy. Is there a biography about Eva as I would love to read her story. GOD BLESS ALL.
Stunning performance. I have a story. Many years ago I was at a record store in suburban Adelaide and I heard a female singing American Tune. I asked the Sales person who is this? Oh that's Eva Cassidy. I had seen her CD's around, but never heard her sing, or her story. Guess what I did? I bought the CD Immediately. And I think Mr Simon loved her version.
I've grew up listening to her. My Uncle Lenny playing piano Performed and Recorded with her. My Favorite Song is this one and also "Tall Trees in Georgia"
I don't think there are conscious decisions made on her part. She seems to operate on an instinctive/intuitive level that most humans never achieve. It truly is the most natural. and beautiful thing I've ever witnessed, and not only the vocal but her whole presence, her humanity. Love her..
I just found out about this artist . I'm dumb founded, I never heard of her 'till tonight. she's absolutely amazing. I mean I like and adore everything I've heard. I'm so glad my friend introduced her. she is the real deal. also I love how she sings over phrases. and with such commitment, precision and bravado. like it's the way we should all sing!!!!!! killer Chord choices!!!!!!! what function.!!! thank you for appreciating this artist. I'm humbled.
Thank you for your heart in evaluating this song from this voice gifted by God
Normally can't stand these kinds of reaction videos, but THIS is spot on. Completely agree with pretty much every single point you make!
Her power is to make you feel the song which is rare quality and she was so gifted.
Just recently found your channel (via American Idol search). Love how you break down a song and are willing to provide praise as well as criticism of the singer's choices. Eva is one of my favorites. She destroyed this song all time for any other singer. What she did to this song (that I did not hear you say directly but you hinted around with other adjectives), is that she took what is essentially the top movie/children's/hope-filled song of all time and converted it to a lament. What rips the listener apart is that her vocal choices and key emote that she does not believe the sentiment and feels that it is just beyond her reach. The sadness brings the listener to tears every time.
She had me at "-where." I almost wrecked my car hearing it on an NPR piece just before I saw the ABC Nightline story.
Purest voice ever! Liquid gold vocalized. Life taken too soon! Genuine artist - making this her song - so gifted.
Just ran across your review of one of my absolute all time favorite artists. She is often overlooked and I so appreciate your respectful comments. Eva was truly a gifted singer and guitar player. Thank you for sharing her lovely voice!
Thanks so much for your comment!
Great reaction. She makes me emotional every time I hear her. Especially this song and Songbird as well as Fields of Gold. The latter cover brought Sting to tears. He did not like people covering that song, But Eva totally owned it.
LOVE her "Fields of Gold" 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
After Sting heard Eva sing his song .... yes, he WAS brought to tears and thereafter said that hers was the better version, the better sung. Yes, tears.
75 years old always loved music, this is the only song i will be sure to listen to every week for the rest of my life, cant count the times already
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've been an Eva Cassidy fan since the mid 1990s.
Hearing this song for the first time was very emotional for me....
I always thought Eva sang this song as she did because she was IN the rainbow.
She was amazing, and I love her with all my heart.
Year's ago the first time I heard her singing on the radio. I had to stop what I was doing. Stand at my radio and just listen. It was music love. I'm a big big fan.
Me too, Cynthia! Thanks so much for watching 🌸
@@JohanBesterYourVocalCoach You're very welcome.
Yes, she was a genuine, rare gift to the music world. After discovering her, I was so very sad to learn at the same time that she had already left us. Eva was a rare gift and blessed us all with often forgotten emotions.
Wonderful to hear someone recognize that a softer singer such as Eva, Alison Krause, and others have a lot of control. 💐
Beautiful Eva singer gone to soon here voice & spirit lives on timeless ❤
She was the best female vocalist to live. Her version of any song becomes iconic. She was a gift to the world of music and she was just gone to soon.
I think she's the best...Karen Carpenter comes close.
I can tell you are as taken with her as I am! Never heard such a phenomenal singer with such emotion!! My absolute favorite!
Please note ..... she was near death when she gave this performance ..... her voice "DIES AWAY" at the end of A LYRIC LINE ..... as did she before the end of this same year ! FYI jj
It's hard to imagine that anyone who heard this live had a dry eye through the entire performance. Knowing what happens in her life shortly after this doesn't help. That said, there are so many attributes of this performance to comment on, it's really difficult just to summarize it in a few words. I'm not a singer, but this version of "Over The Rainbow" is one of those performances that catapults you through so many emotions that you're not even sure if you landed softly. The mind wanders with her phrasing and intensity, as you say - hanging on the thought of where is she going next - only to drift back down, and then up "over the rainbow", up high. Her performance is masterful in the way she makes you feel her emotion and yours at the same time sea-sawing back and forth as between her voice and the guitar accompaniment. Both thoughts melting into a sea of clouds and "what could have been". Her voice is pure, vibrant, challenging and soft - all in the same phrase, and, it just works. The loss of her expected vocal clarity and breathe, at the end, leaves me a bit sad. Feels like a harsh landing for a truly memorable journey, and ironically enough, imitates life's reality. Perhaps it was the emotion in her thoughts at that moment or something else. I felt a bit robbed, as she was, of what should have been. That said, this rendition remains my favorite "Over the Rainbow" recording. Eva, your songs and voice are lifting all of us up. Fly, baby, Fly.
Maybe the most complete singer I've ever heard. She could be ethereal and delicate as a feather but also belt with chilling power.
100% agree. She kills me every time.
She sing effortlessly, so beautiful, I get chills everytime I listen to her sing this song.
The best reaction!
She might be my favorite singer ever. I’ve listened to this a million times. It never gets old. She’s amazing.
I have all of her albums! Love her🎉
Her performance of Autumn Leaves (Blues Alley) brings me to tears listening to it. How many vocalists can bring such emotions out of their listeners, ever notice the end of this song, the last notes... If you sense Eva's getting emotional and you feel for her.
Thanks so much for your feedback!
My brother played with her and his girl friend painted murals with she was also a good artist
Her voice is perfection. Her rendition of "Fields of Gold" is the best. Simply sublime. Thank you for remembering her. New sub here, longtime fan of Eva.
Please, please, please react to more of Eva Cassidy. What a Wonderful World and Fields of Gold are favorites of mine. What a treasure she was and is!
Her voice always touches a place so deep it brings me to tears.
The emotion she expresses makes me as emotional as she is.
Thank you. I've been an Eva Cassidy fan since the first time I heard her, and it was a song on this Blue Alley performance that hooked me. I knew immediately, that she was something very special. She so completely inhabited a song in a way that almost didn't seem like a performance. Her delivery seems to come from her soul, as if it was an expression of something deep inside her that needed to be expressed. Unlike many performers, who's style comes across as passionate and expressive, but feels to me like.all the vocal embellishments are meant to impress, Eva's singing always feels deeply personal, authentic, and completely unforced, natural. Among some of my other favorites are "Autumn Leaves", "Tall Trees in Georgia", and "Fields of Gold". I too wonder what she would have achieved had her life not ended so early, but I am grateful that there were recordings made we can still enjoy!
truly wonderful ....thanks for sharing
Eric Clapton said her version of 'Fields of Gold', is best he ever heard, and liked it far better than his original. Paul McCartney wanted to work with her, but it was too late. She is an astounding performer. She was hugely popular in the UK helped along by radio host, Terry Wogan.
Hi Trisha ... Clapton or Sting ?
No wonder superstars like Sting and McCartney recognised her mind blowing gift....
Sting himself said that fields of gold was hers.
Sting wrote Fields of Gold not Clapton
When Eva was playing clubs in DC she opened for some bands I liked and was always great. But DC was a funk music town and what really made headlines was when Chuck Brown, the Go Go master made a duet album with Eva. Go Go is hardcore funk with no breaks between songs. A Chuck Brown concert was two or three hours of pounding funk. When he announced and then actually released a duet album with Eva (that included Over the Rainbow) that was news. There were interviews since Chuck was probably the best known DC based musician in the 70's, 80's, and 90's and Chuck was cool. He just said she's a great singer and I want people to know there is more to me than Go Go. Mick Fleetwood had a club near DC and I think she played there every time he was in town. Fleetwood and Brown tried to give her the opportunity for a bigger career but it never seemed like she wanted a bigger music career. I think the Chuck Brown record was the only record released while she was alive. At least it was the only one I knew of until years after she died.
The record with him, The Other Side, was released in 1992, 4 years before Blues Alley. She also did two songs on his Christmas album.
Interesting, never predictable, just a hint of the blues. That unexpected reach or turn that touches the heart.
Her voice is absolutely sublime. One of the best vocalist I've ever heard. Stunning voice control
Agreed! Thanks for watching!
This is an amazing and beautiful performance. What's really interesting is that she ends it straight, but decorates it with a super tasty guitar modulation. Wow.
Thank you for your genuine words of appreciation for Eva Cassidy and this particular song.
I am obsessed with her songs , I listen to over the rainbow every day , such a golden voice , she was gone too soon ! 😔
No matter how many times I hear her, she always makes me cry. An angel.
Most individuals who respond to Eva's technique often overlook her exceptional guitar skills. From my perspective, she skillfully crafts the vocal phrases to harmoniously complement the chord progression, rather than the other way around. The truly remarkable aspect is the seamless synchronization between the guitar and vocals, creating a captivating ebb and flow of dynamics.
What's beautiful about Eva Cassidy she doesn't over sing. She doesn't need to impress us we are hooked from the start. By the purity of her voice the power is just a bonus. Still got her book in my bedside table. And that's where it will stay.
I swear she is singing a different song. She had the gift. Thanks for your warm and skillful feedback, I’m certain your students appreciate you.
You can read her bio. She grew up in the church choir and her dad taught her to play guitar that way. All in house home schooled. And she draws. You could say it's "Naif" style. Watching these reactions analyses of Eva confirms what I felt when I discovered her and played true to her style years ago. I'm in a lull now after my mama died. I hope I play guitar and sing again one day.