High Priestess of Soul (1967) was Simone's final album for Philips. In orchestral settings arranged by Hal Mooney, she offers a characteristically wide-ranging program of material. Included are pop tunes (Bobby Scott's "Don't Pay Them No Mind" and a lighthearted version of Chuck Berry's r&b hit "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"); jazz compositions (Duke Ellington's "The Gal from Joe's" and the Nat Adderley-Oscar Brown Jr. "Work Song"); and traditional gos pel themes ("Take Me to the Water" which seamlessly dovetails with Rudy Stevenson's high-spirited "I'm Going Back Home.") Simone's composition "Come Ye" is particularly inspired and inspiring, a visionary voice-and-percussion rallying cry reaffirming survival, unity and peace.
Joel E. Siegel City Paper Washington, D.C.
Comments to Mauro Boscarol