Nina Simone - Verve Ultimate Cool (2013)

A remarkable singer who brought a jazz sensibility and the heart of a lion to every song she touched, to say nothing of her sharp, focused piano playing, Nina Simone was the kind of artist who could make even a corporate memo sound urgent, poignant, and necessary. She could simply sing anything and make it work, and her unique mixture of passion, empowerment, liberation, and love continues to make her recorded work speak powerfully a decade or more into the 21st century. This 11-track selection includes two of her signature songs, "I Put a Spell on You" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," as well as nine others. -- Steve Leggett