Songbird (Eva Cassidy album)

Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy. It was released through Blix Street on May 19, 1998, two years after her death in 1996.

Songbird
Compilation album by
Eva Cassidy
ReleasedMay 19, 1998
Length42:51
LabelBlix Street
Producer
Eva Cassidy chronology
Eva by Heart
(1997)		 Songbird
(1998)		 Time After Time
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Five tracks ("Wade in the Water", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Songbird", "Time is a Healer" and "I Know You by Heart") are from Cassidy's album Eva by Heart. Four tracks ("Fields of Gold", "Autumn Leaves", "People Get Ready" and "Oh Had I a Golden Thread") are from her album Live at Blues Alley. The remaining track, "Over the Rainbow", is from the album The Other Side. The compilation album was certified Gold by the CRIA (50,000 units) in 2003.[3] It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2001 and Platinum in 2008 for shipments in excess of one million copies.[4]

In 2018, a twentieth anniversary edition of the album was released, titled Songbird 20.[5][6]

Background

In May 1996, Eva Cassidy released the live album Live at Blues Alley, which would be the last album released before her death six months later, at the age of 33. Near the end of Cassidy's life, local folk singer Grace Griffith sent a copy of the album to Bill Straw, the head of her label, Blix Street Records.[7]

"It didn't take a genius to figure it out," Straw told The New York Times. "The moment I listened to that tape, I knew this was one of the best singers I'd ever heard."[7]

Straw approached the Cassidy family to put together a new album. In 1998, a compilation of tracks from Cassidy's three released recordings was assembled into what would become Songbird. This CD lingered in relative obscurity for two years until it was given airplay by Terry Wogan on his wide-reaching BBC Radio 2 show Wake Up to Wogan, following recommendation by his producer Paul Walters. The album sold more an additional 100,000 copies in the following months. The New York Times spoke of her "silken soprano voice with a wide and seemingly effortless range, unerring pitch and a gift for phrasing that at times was heart-stoppingly eloquent."[7]

Chart performance

The album was originally released in 1998, eighteen months on from Cassidy's death. At this point, she was virtually unknown in the United Kingdom, and Songbird only charted in the nether-regions of the UK Albums Chart. Two years after the album's release, however, Cassidy's music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her versions of "Fields of Gold" and "Over the Rainbow" were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2.[8] Following an overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of "Over the Rainbow", taken at Blues Alley in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. by her friend Bryan McCulley, was shown on BBC Two's Top of the Pops 2.[9] Shortly afterwards, Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Chart.[10] It ended up being the eighth-biggest-selling album of 2001, and it has subsequently been certified 6× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and has worldwide sales in excess of 5 million copies.[11]

Track listing

Original version
# Title Written by Length
1."Fields of Gold"Sting4:42
2."Wade in the Water"Traditional4:02
3."Autumn Leaves"Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert4:41
4."Wayfaring Stranger"Traditional4:26
5."Songbird"Christine McVie3:43
6."Time Is a Healer"Diane Scanlon, Greg Smith4:16
7."I Know You By Heart"Eve Nelson, Scanlon3:59
8."People Get Ready"Curtis Mayfield3:16
9."Oh, Had I a Golden Thread"Pete Seeger4:49
10."Over the Rainbow"Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg4:57

Songbird 20 version
# Title Length
11."Songbird (Acoustic)"2:52
12."Wade in the Water (Acoustic)"2:39
13."People Get Ready (Acoustic)"3:27
14."Autumn Leaves (Acoustic)"4:00

The tracks from Live at Blues Alley sound like studio cuts because Cassidy's stage patter and the audience applause have been removed.

Personnel
  • Eva Cassidy – guitar, keyboards, vocals, producer, arranger
  • Chris Biondo – bass, rhythm guitar, producer, drum programming
  • Dan Cassidy – violin
  • Hilton Felton – organ
  • John Gillespie – organ
  • Keith Grimes – lead electric guitar
  • Raice McLeod – drums
  • Larry Melton – upright bass
  • Mike Stein – violin
  • Chris Walker – trumpet
  • Lenny Williams – piano
  • Kent Wood – organ, producer

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for Songbird
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[32] 2× Platinum 100,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[33] Platinum 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[34] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Sweden (GLF)[35] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] 6× Platinum 1,910,000[11]
United States (RIAA)[38] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for Songbird
Region Date Formats Editions Labels Refs.
Various May 19, 1998
Standard Blix Street Records, Inc [39]
2 March 2018
  • CD
  • digital download
  • streaming
 Deluxe [40]

References
  1. AllMusic review
  2. "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  3. "Gold & Platinum Certification – September 2003". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  4. "Gold & Platinum Certification". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  5. Yanow, Scott. "Eva Cassidy Songbird 20". Jazz Monthly. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  6. "Songbird 20". Spotify. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  7. Ward, Alex (12 August 2002). "In Death, A Shy Singer Finally Grabs The Spotlight; CD's Carry Eva Cassidy's Voice a Wider Audience". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  8. Chu, Jeff (23 April 2001). "Over the Rainbow Fans are finally discovering Eva Cassidy's legacy of soulful song". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  9. Keller, Julia (24 June 2001). "Eva Cassidy died at 33, and you can't hear her recording of 'Over the Rainbow' without thinking about her death. You just can't. She's the latest artist to exemplify our emotional tie to tragic endings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  10. "Eva Cassidy: A Musical Soul". BBC World Service. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  11. Copsey, Rob (18 March 2021). "The impact of Eva Cassidy's Songbird album 20 years after its surprise Number 1 success". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  12. "Australiancharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  13. "Danishcharts.dk – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Eva Cassidy – Songbird" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  15. "Charts.nz – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
  19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. "Eva Cassidy Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard.
  21. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  22. "Best of Albums 2001". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  23. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  24. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2001". Official Charts Company. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  25. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  26. "Årslista Album – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  27. "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  28. "The Official UK Albums Chart 2004" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  29. "The Noughties' Official UK Albums Chart Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media: 19. 30 January 2010.
  30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  31. "Canadian album certifications – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  32. "Listen – Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark – Uge 10" (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. 20 March 1999. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  33. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  34. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor–SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  35. "Veckolista Album, vecka 11, 2003 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 February 2022. Scroll to position 12 to view certification.
  36. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Eva Cassidy; 'Songbird')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  37. "British album certifications – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  38. "American album certifications – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  39. "Songbird - Eva Cassidy". Apple Music. May 19, 1998. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  40. "Songbird 20 - Eva Cassidy". Apple Music. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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