Nina Simone Issue #30

Remixed and Reimagined (RCA/Legacy)

By Sonia Pereira Murphy
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:00am

As a huge Nina Simone fan, I couldn’t help my initial suspicion of a compilation showcasing rehashes of songs that sprang from her unbeatable genius. But I sincerely approached this new project with a receptive, if not ingenuous, mind. What I discovered is that no matter how many trendy tribal beats get sprinkled into a classic, the result doesn’t always turn out so groovy.  

Remixed and Reimagined deceptively kicks off with feel-good numbers (“I Can’t See Nobody,” “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter,” “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life”) that haven’t been so much remixed as retouched with blasting horns, energetic vibes, and strolling beats. As these tunes rely mostly on Simone’s original melody lines for their appeal, they are inoffensive but a bit scrawny for bona fide re-imaginings. Despite their lack of innovation, they still resound more successfully than the latter songs, which come off as disjointed, lengthy, and boring. Tony Humphries’ version of “Turn Me On” fails to even turn on my stereo system with its busybody, overwhelming beats, and Francois K’s “Here Comes the Sun” feels like “here comes the tedious rain.”  

If you’re a Simone fan, skip this one. If you’re a curious listener, grab any one of her fine anthologies. After all, when you finally pop your Simone cherry, you don’t want anyone to know you didn’t do it right.