Nina Simone "Nina's Back" LP

Originally recorded in 1985, following a lengthy semi-retirement from the music business, NINA'S BACK is pure Nina Simone. Her vocals and piano front a small and sympathetic band on a well-chosen set of standards and several Simone originals. Of those, "Fodder For Her Wings" and the intensely personal "I Sing Just To Know I Am Alive" rank among Nina Simone's finest late-era compositions. The other tracks, particularly an inviting "It's Cold Out There," are equally fine.