I Put A Spell On You LP (180g)

I Put A Spell On You opens with her hit title track written by Screaming’ Jay Hawkins whose 1956 recording was selected years later by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a seminal genre shaper. Simone, who named her 1992 autobiography after the song title, sings with a devilish enchantment in a ballad-like setting as the ominous strings swell. She also covers Jacques Brel’s “Ne me quitte pas” in a moving rendition of a tragic lost love, ranges upbeat with the witty “Marriage Is for Old Folks,” leads the band in the instrumental “Blues on Purpose” with tasty licks by the pianist and Stevenson, and wonderfully zips into the popish swing on “Gimme Some,” which is Simone’s lusty embrace of love.