1 CENT CD: Cassandra Wilson 'Thunderbird' 2006

Condition of CD:   Mint Condition!

With a series of terrific albums, Cassandra Wilson has established herself as one of the day's great vocalists and, in branching out from jazz into blues and folk and pop, paved the way for genre-crossing stars including Norah Jones. But the Mississippi native has rarely sounded as relaxed or winning as she does on "Thunderbird," which teams her with the stalwart O Brother Where Art Thou? producer T Bone Burnett. Recorded mostly in Los Angeles, the album is noteworthy not only for its roomy, atmospheric sound and experimental touches, but also for its improvised-in-the-studio approach. Working with innovative Burnett regulars including keyboardist (and co-producer) Keefus Ciancia, guitarist Marc Ribot, and drumming legend Jim Keltner, Wilson delivers such offbeat delights as "Going to Mexico," a dreamlike, funk-tinged tune built on a sample of "Hey Pocky A-Way" by New Orleans' Wild Tchoupitoulas. Eschewing the well-known pop tunes she usually covers, she lends her huskily seductive vocals to Jakob Dylan's wistful "Closer to You" and Burnett's dark "Strike a Match," to which she claimed co-ownership by changing the time signature and adding a lyric. The inspired contributors also include programmer and bassist Mike Elizondo (producer of Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine") and guitarist Colin Linden, who wails on a gripping extended reading of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Easy Rider" and duets with Wilson on the cowboy classic "Red River Valley," which eloquently sums up her ability to breathe jazz meaning into anything she chooses.

One review reads 'Given her string of excellent albums since 1993 for Blue Note, Cassandra Wilson has always been one of modern music's most reliable artists. Each new album bent but left unbroken the musical approach of her Blue Note debut BLUE LIGHT `TIL DAWN. THUNDERBIRD seems to be not so much a drastic change, but rather a particularly bold continuation of her career. An effective change in producers (T Bone Burnett behind the boards here) and a group of mostly new instrumentalists (i.e., to Cassandra's music) promises to put some distance between the new album and prior efforts.

Yet after several listens, it's clear that Wilson has retained all of the musical strengths established previously: her brilliantly nuanced vocals, a well-chosen mixture of original material with cover versions (e.g., several blues classics updated here), explorative musicians accompanying her, and an eclectic taste for compatible styles (blues, jazz, pop, folk, soul/r&b, etc.). At the same time, much of the album feels like a departure from her prior albums, probably due to the innovative production and arrangements.

Although several tracks offer a sparse accompiament to Cassandra's vocals (such as electric guitar only on "Red River Valley"), at other times the album's soundscape is marked by contemporary touches such as subtle electronica effects and even some pre-programming not far removed from hip-hop. This is most notable on the instant classic cut "It Would Be So Easy." However, at no point does the album sound to any extent like a generic attempt to fit into pop culture's safety zone; the modernist touches never come at the expense of the groundbreaking organic sound that Wilson has been noted for. For one, at times one hears parts what would be samples on anyone else's albums, but are actually live musicians playing in real time (such as on the tracks with several drummers where one will drop some well-placed fill-ins).

Although there is considerable variety from track to track, perhaps to a greater extent than previously THUNDERBIRD makes a collective statement, that being that Cassandra Wilson is more than ever miles ahead of even our elevated expectations that she will deliver outstanding results with each new album. THUNDERBIRD gets my vote as her all-time best to date!'.