Nina Simone Sings the Blues, released in 1967 as her first album with RCA Victor, captures Nina Simone’s raw and intense musical prowess through a selection of powerful blues tracks. The album showcases Simone’s deeply expressive voice and commanding piano playing, with standout songs like “Backlash Blues", written in collaboration with poet Langston Hughes, and her reinterpretation of “The House of the Rising Sun,” offering a fast-paced, emotionally charged take distinct from her 1962 live version. Other highlights include “My Man’s Gone Now” from Porgy & Bess and “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl", a nod to blues legend Bessie Smith.

Simone is backed by a stellar band featuring Eric Gale and Rudy Stevenson on guitar, Bob Bushnell on bass, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums, Ernie Hayes on organ, and Buddy Lucas on harmonica and saxophone.

2024 reissue pressed on 180g-light blue vinyl, released via Vinyl Me, Please.

Tracklist:

Side A