Thanks to a steady stream of reissues and her central role in Questlove's 2021 Summer of Soul documentary, Nina Simone has lately been accumulating some of the overdue praise she was denied in life. This fiercely gifted and intelligent pianist, who out of necessity eventually discovered her distinctive singing voice, was especially productive from 1964 until 1967 when she recorded most of what's on this compilation. That mid-'60s period is also when Simone moved from innocuous pop standards to protest songs, many of which she wrote or rearranged herself. Many of her best-known mid-period tunes are here: "I Put A Spell On You," “Sinnerman," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and the triumphant and justly famous 1964 live version of "Mississippi Goddam" from Carnegie Hall. This brief best-of is completed by the addition of her first hit, "My Baby Just Cares for Me" from 1957. What's new here are remixes of seven tunes whose original versions also appear on this reissue. Opener "Feeling Good," gets a ready-for-the-club makeover from DJ Joel Corry while dance duo Sofi Tukker, who've worked with Lady Gaga and Rodrigo y Gabriela, emphasize Simone's piano part on "Sinnerman" before settling into a standard dance beat. UK duo HONNE evade the dance beat sameness with a downbeat mix of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" that changes the melody entirely while leaving the words intact—an imaginative if not entirely successful reimagining—while the remix of "Take Care of Business" by drum and bass duo Rudimental adds a rumbling undercurrent to the original. The single comes from UK electro-pop band Hot Chip who slow "Be My Husband" and add a fat bass part on keyboards, synth flourishes, and looped reverb to Simone's voice, finishing with a shaking of tambourine. Though not quite the hoped-for hit, the efforts required for a remix adds to the body of respect and awe Simone's work righteously inspires.
