Lisa Simone - All Is Well (2014) Lossless

SIMONE is her own woman: a singer, songwriter & performer whose ability to transcend genres echoes the tradition of her mother, musical icon Nina Simone.

A highly-praised live performer whose impressive resume includes starring roles on Broadway in such acclaimed musicals as Rent and Aida, Simone has developed an exciting and diverse repertoire of pop, soul, jazz, rock and funk, expressed in shows she’s done throughout the world. “Touring with Simone on Simone has been a dream come true as I’ve traveled around the world and graced stages that are legends unto themselves. Among my favorites have been the Sydney Opera House, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, New York’s Lincoln Center, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, and the North Sea Jazz Festival.”

With the success of her 2008 release, Simone On Simone (a big band tribute to her mother produced by famed jazz musician and arranger Bob Belden), music lovers worldwide have discovered the vocal dynamism that live audiences have witnessed for over a decade. “This is my tribute to my mother, a chance for me to do the songs I love the most the way I hear them. It’s a glimpse of my life over four decades…” Fortunate to have been gifted over fifty of her mother’s original arrangements, Simone began working with producer Bob Belden (whose credits include work with Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson, Sting and Chick Corea) on the recording project, culling eleven songs from Nina Simone’s repertoire, including one live performance on which her mother accompanied her and featuring one poignant and highly personal song, “Child In Me” which Simone fondly refers to as “my love song to my mother.”

She succeeds admirably turning in tour-de-force performances on little-known gems from her mother’s recorded repertoire such as “Keeper Of The Flame,” “I Hold No Grudge” and “Don’t You Pay Them No Mind” (all from Nina Simone’s 1966 LP High Priestess Of Soul) as well as rewordings of such classics as “Feeling Good,” “Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair” (given a completely new and original twist), “Work Song,” the spirited “(You’ll) Go To Hell” and swinging versions of “Love Me Or Leave Me” and Duke Ellington’s “Gal From Joe’s.” Rounding out her first of many future albums: “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” (the Billy Taylor tune closely identified with her mother as one of the potent message songs which were so much a part of Nina Simone’s catalog of music with themes of freedom, self-empowerment and justice for all) and “How Long Must I Wander,” a plaintive song that speaks to Simone’s own formative years traveling across the globe with her mother. The album went on to be come #14 on the Billboard Jazz charts and was Top 5 at iTunes on their Jazz Vocalist chart.

Simone recently recorded a new version of her mother Nina’s original classic “Four Women” for Tyler Perry’s film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. In keeping with the organic integrity of the original recording with a slightly younger rendition, “Four Women” produced by Warryn Campbell, will be available and heard on the commercially released movie soundtrack (Atlantic Records), closing credits and the movie trailer.

Since her mother’s passing in 2003, Simone has taken on many projects which include managing her mothers’ extensive estate. Simone is also an avid supporter for Breast Cancer Awareness (the disease which claimed her mother’s life in 2003) and actively involved in other philanthropic causes such as Nina’s Kids, a Miami, FL based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, nurture and motivate musically talented children to achieve the highest level of music artistry. All music in the program will be influenced by the work of Nina Simone, whose life and passion for music is the inspiration for Nina’ Kids.

Encouraged by the constant support of God, family, friends and fans, Simone says her commitment is to “keep singing, keep writing, keep performing, spreading the word, spreading the healing, spreading the message and spreading the love!” With a rich heritage to draw from, a wealth of accomplishments and accolades as a Broadway star and live performer and a finely-developed sense of her own unique artistry, Simone is ready to establish herself as a successful recording artist of the first order. She has had a wonderful run with Simone On Simone, an album that honors her mother’s musical contribution while beginning a new chapter in her own musical journey. Look for the new album to be released in 2011.