I Can Only Be Me

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In the original live recording, the only accompaniment is Eva herself playing the guitar, lightly brushing the strings in a continuous tremolo. While it can be easy to argue that much of what made Cassidy’s work so special and so beloved was the simplicity; tasteful, resourceful (real instruments instead of synths) and never flashy, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world in which the tracks on I Can Only Be Me weren’t “meant to be” coupled with strings.

To celebrate what would have been her 60th birthday (on February 2), Blix Street Records will release a landmark new album, which pairs Cassidy’s impeccable voice with the backing of the legendary London Symphony Orchestra.The album "I Can Only Be Me" pairs the vocals of the late Eva Cassidy with music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Iconic Eva Cassidy tracks like Songbird and Autumn Leaves, once a seamless combination of folk, blues, jazz and gospel, now stand as beautiful, larger-than-life compositions, deeply rich in texture; so grand that they wouldn’t feel misplaced on a classic Bond soundtrack. On a gloomy day in late May 1996, Eva Cassidy and her bandmate Chris Biondo were on the road to a remote factory in rural Virginia with the goal of collecting copies of her new record Live At Blues Alley. Like everyone who listens to Eva's voice, I've felt like I've gotten to know her as I've worked on the album,” explains Willis. Perhaps her hometown paper, the Washington Post said it best: “The saddest part of the mostly heartwarming story of singer Eva Cassidy is that she had to die to get the renown she deserved.

SONGBIRD, the first compilation curated from the Blues Alley recordings and others she made during her short lifetime, has been certified Platinum in the U. Christopher Willis and William Ross teamed up to compose new arrangements for some of Cassidy's best loved songs, which have been recorded by none other than the London Symphony Orchestra. For the orchestral version, strings replace the guitar, and the overlapping sustains and tremolos become a texture of forest murmurs.Nobody could have imagined that the audio and video recordings captured that night would prove to be the foundation of Eva Cassidy's posthumous superstardom. Like everyone who listens to Eva's voice, I've felt like I've gotten to know her as I've worked on the album," explains Willis. EVIL SCARECROW release new single 'Release The Krakhen', out on Deadbox Records, ​tour starts 2nd Feb. I CAN ONLY BE ME by Eva Cassidy with the London Symphony Orchestra is a new work that employs the groundbreaking machine learning audio restoration technology developed by filmmaker Peter Jackson for his 2021 The Beatles: Get Back film and used more recently for the re-issue of The Beatles classic album, REVOLVER. All album tracks are available in hi-res 48kHz​/​24bit stereo along with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 immersive audio formats, a first for Eva Cassidy recordings.

The goal with the orchestral version was to complement her pure vocal essence with a simple, yet broader instrumental arrangement – a lush musical landscape with Eva’s voice at the center. EVA CASSIDY'S IMPECCABLE VOICE PAIRED WITH LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOR "I CAN ONLY BE ME" ALBUM COMING IN FEBRUARY, 2023".

But as I went deeper into Eva's life story and catalogue, I came to understand the extent to which she herself had experimented in the studio and had been looking for new ways to record her songs. In an interview with The Independent, Cassidy's former bandmate and arranger Chris Biondo shared, "Eva had a fantasy of one day having a full orchestra back her up . Audio restoration technology developed by filmmaker Peter Jackson was used to strip Cassidy's voice from her original recordings, with the orchestrations being produced in 2021. The goal with the orchestral version was to complement her pure vocal essence with a simple, yet broader instrumental arrangement - a lush musical landscape with Eva's voice at the center.

When singer Eva Cassidy wandered into producer Chris Biondo's studio in Glenn Dale, Maryland to make extra money by singing on a band's demo, she began an unprecedented journey that would lead to more than 12 million albums sold worldwide, largely posthumously. People Magazine wrote of SONGBIRD at the time: “Whether in jazz, folk, or inspirational music, Cassidy’s potential was huge, and this album stands as a testament to popular music’s loss. The Music said that Cassidy was "one of the great singers of our generation" and, rating the album 4/5 stars, added that the release was filled with "beautiful, larger-than-life compositions, deeply rich in texture". Lukes, the 18 th century former Anglican London church that currently serves as the London Symphony Orchestra’s home, conducted by Chris Egan.Two-time Emmy-winning producer/arranger William Ross, who created the album's "Autumn Leaves" track, said: "I can't possibly find the words to adequately express my thoughts and feelings about Eva, one of the most unique, hypnotic, and powerful singers of all time. There has also been continuing use of her arrangements and recordings on television talent shows such as The X Factor, The Voice, Masked Singer, American Idol, America's Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars.