Some thoughts on Eva Cassidy.

Eva Cassidy was only 33 years old when she died of cancer on November 2, 1996.

After her death, people began to appreciate that she had the most beautiful, the most exquisite, the most powerful and moving voice they’d ever heard. And when they remember, or rather when they’re reminded once in a while when listening to her music, they’re all a bit sad and bemused that she is no longer able to sing.

My favorite Eva Cassidy song is ‘Fields of Gold’ from Songbird. Posthumously released, the ten seconds of track 1 between four minutes twenty six seconds and four minutes thirty six seconds arguably constitute the greatest recorded moment of the late twentieth century.

‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes?’, ‘Danny Boy’, ‘True Colors’, and ‘Yesterday’ are all superb as well.

She could transform, she could improve any song. I don’t know whether Eva ever sang it, but I’m convinced she could make Tiny Tim’s ‘Tip Toe Through the Tulips’ sound reasonable. Perhaps even stirring.

It doesn’t matter whether you dislike or have never heard of Aaron Neville, Bruce Springsteen, Nessun Dorma or Van Halen – anybody can appreciate Eva.

She was the best, most beautiful singer.

P M Doyle

June 12, 2007

P.S. Some may think the above is overstated. Maybe they’re right, or, more to the point, maybe they’ve never heard Eva Cassidy sing (at least not in the last ten minutes or so).