Nina Simone's Finest Hour

1	Love Me or Leave Me 4:06
2	Wild Is the Wind 6:59
3	I Put a Spell on You 2:37
4	Work Song 3:08
5	Don't Explain 4:22
6	Mississippi Goddam 3:05
7	Four Women 4:55
8	Pirate Jenny 4:26
9	I Loves You, Porgy 6:41
10	This Year's Kisses 2:32
11	Little Girl Blue 3:00
12	Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 4:21
13	Ne Me Quitte Pas 2:48
14	Don't Smoke in Bed 3:38
15	[Untitled Track] 5:24

Barnes & Noble

Although a present generation may know her music from a once ubiquitous commercial theme, there's so much more to Nina Simone than "My Baby Just Cares for Me." One of the most individual singers of the 1960s, Simone was a superb interpreter of a wide variety of music. Her stylistic range can be sensed from this collection: r&b tunes ("I Put a Spell on You"), Brecht-Weill ballads ("Pirate Jenny"), Billie Holiday trademarks ("I Wished on the Moon," "Don't Explain"), standards ("Little Girl Blue," "Love Me or Leave Me"), and a whole host of songs she made her own ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Wild Is the Wind"). A uniquely expressive singer and a fine self-accompanying pianist, Simone is noted for dramatic readings that turn each song into a mini epic. "My Baby Just Cares for Me" isn't even on this collection, but you won't miss it. William Pearl

All Music Guide

Verve's Finest Hour collection of Nina Simone's work compiles 60 minutes of career highlights, including "Wild Is the Wind," "I Put a Spell on You," "Four Women," "I Loves You, Porgy," and "My Baby Just Cares for Me." Though it's by no means a definitive compilation of Simone's music, it does provide a welcome overview of her Verve years. Heather Phares