(08 January 2002) Songbird is the portrait of the late Eva Cassidy. It is the language of dreams ... it is the voice of song. Songbird is a testament of this language ... it is a living witness of vocal purity. Each and every song that Cassidy sings is reborn; it is rewritten into the embodiment of Cassidy’s voice. It is her dreams that we hear and it is her voice that writes, it writes into poetry/song-what words cannot say.

As a songwriter I enjoyed a brief glimpse into the beauty of Eva Cassidy’s voice--I was stunned--and it wasn’t until years later (after her death) that I realized, that it was not I, but her voice that wrote the song. Listen to Cassidy’s embrace of "Autumn Leaves" it is a duet with the listener. It is personal passion personified. It is your song that she sings.

Her rendition of "Wade in the Water" is not a rendition but a recreation of Cassidy’s very soul. Again you are part of her--baptized and purified by the cleansing of her voice. It is a powerful song, sung by a powerful woman of grace.Cassidy continues her vocal virtuosity skillfully weaving a new tapestry for each song. Closing with "Over The Rainbow," her final interpretation of dreams.

Eva Cassidy died in 1996. More information on the life and music of the late Eva Cassidy can be found at this website.--Steven Digman

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