Simone on Simone
Standing in a giant’s shadows
The debut of Simone (born Lisa Celeste Stroud) comes with the same burden of expectation that greeted Sean Lennon and Jakob Dylan’s initial efforts. But, unlike those rock-icon offspring, Stroud actually has the hubris to tackle her legendary mother’s catalog, enlisting the aid of jazz producer Bob Belden and the Rob Stoneback Big Band to mine lesser-known Nina Simone gems. She acquits herself admirably, from the gospel-infused passion of the opening “Music For Lovers”—recorded live in 1999, with her mother on piano—to subtle reworkings of classics such as the bopping “Go To Hell.” But, aside from an inventive take on “Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair” and the touching “Child In Me” (Stroud’s ode to her mother), there’s nothing here that establishes Simone as the sort of enigmatic original Nina was.