Cassandra Wilson – Another Country
In her new release, Another Country, Cassandra Wilson once again demonstrates her artful skill of reinterpretation on “O Sole Mio,” an Italian rendition of “It’s Now Or Never” made famous by Elvis Presley. Unlike the king of rock and roll’s version, Ms. Wilson bends the notes to her liking and uses her killer contralto to breath new life into the tune. Another Country, however, is not an album of covers. Except for “O Sole Mio” and two instrumental tracks, she penned all the compositions. In collaborating with producer Fabrizio Sotti who backs up her vocal with his sensational acoustic picking guitar, Ms. Wilson shows off her lyricism, particularly on the illustrious “Red Guitar”:
Wash my face with blue water
Lay my head on white linens
Morning come, drink black coffee
Then play my song on red guitar
With Another Country, Ms. Wilson embarks on yet another direction in her expansive career as she parted her long relationship with Blue Note.