Cassandra Wilson signs to Legacy Recordings for Billie Holiday tribute album
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Grammy-winning singer Cassandra Wilson has signed to Sony’s Legacy Recordings for her new album, Coming Forth By Day, which is set for release in the Spring 2015.
A tribute to iconic singer Billie Holiday, the album is her follow up to 2012’s Another Country (eOne Records), and its release on 7 April 2015 marks what would have been Holiday’s 100th birthday.
Recorded in Los Angeles at Seedy Underbelly studios, Wilson worked with a team of producer Launay (Nick Cave), guitarists T Bone Burnett and Nick Zinner, string arranger Van Dyke Parks and rhythm section of drummer Thomas Wydler and bassist Martyn P. Casey of The Bad Seeds. Drawing on material from across Holiday’s wide-ranging repertoire, Wilson hasn’t shied away from the darker side of Holiday’s life that is also reflected in the grungy sounds created by her edgy roots-rock and blues backing band, which also includes her longtime collaborators Jon Cowherd on piano and Kevin Breit on guitar.
Speaking about the album Wilson commented: “Coming Forth by Day is a homage dedicated to the beauty, power, and genius of Billie Holiday. A collection of musical spells, prescriptions for navigating the dubious myths surrounding her life and times, this record is a vehicle for the re-emergence of Billie’s songbook in the 21st century.”
The album’s track listing is as follows: ‘Don’t Explain’, ‘Billie’s Blues’, ‘Crazy He Calls Me’, ‘You Go To My Head’, ‘All Of Me’, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, ‘Good Morning Heartache’, ‘What A Little Moonlight Can Do’, ‘These Foolish Things’, ‘Strange Fruit’, ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and ‘Last Song (For Lester)’.
– Mike Flynn