The
Nina Simone entry in Universal Music's discount-priced best-of series
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection draws nine tracks from
Simone's popular Philips Records albums of the mid-'60s, plus two tracks from her live album
Let It Be Me, released by Verve Records in 1987. Several of
Simone's most frequent concert selections and signature songs are included, among them a live take of "I Loves You Porgy," "Mississippi Goddam," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and "The Other Woman." With a running time under 40 minutes and limited to only two of the labels for which
Simone recorded, this is hardly a comprehensive compilation of her work. But it is a reasonable sampler at a reasonable price. ~ William Ruhlmann