Nina Simone's Softer Side, Still Sharp
Pastel Blues finds Simone in a contemplative mood, trading fury for intimacy without losing her edge.
Pastel Blues arrived in 1965 when Nina Simone was already well established as a pianist, singer, and voice for social change. By this point in her career, she had moved beyond her classical training and early jazz work into something more urgent and personal. This album, released on Philips Records, shows her at a different angle — less combative than some of her other work from the era, more focused on the small spaces between notes.
The record captures Simone doing what she did best: treating a song as a whole thought rather than a collection of verses. Her piano work here is restrained, even delicate in spots, which makes the moments when she leans in emotionally hit harder. Pitchfork recognized this restraint and sensitivity, rating it 4 out of 5 stars. The album works best as a late-afternoon listen, the kind of record you put on when you want intelligence and feeling in equal amounts but not maximum volume. It's not her most celebrated work, and it doesn't have the historical weight of her more overtly political recordings, but it's worth hearing if you want to understand how varied her approach could be.
This is an album for people who already know her better work — Moanin' (1964) or It Ain't Necessarily So (1964) are better entry points. Pastel Blues sits slightly to the side of her main catalog, interesting and solid but not essential. Still, it shows an artist comfortable enough in her own voice to move between intensity and quietness without apology.
Who's playing
Lisle Atkinsonbass guitar
Nina Simonepiano
Rudy Stevensonguitar
Bobby Hamiltondrums
Al Schackmanharmonica
