Nina’s Back, the 1985 album from Nina Simone is out today on Verve Records/Universal Music. Recorded after a break from recording and time spent living in Barbados and Liberia, Nina’s Back features a rejuvenated Nina Simone reaching out to a wider musical audience. Available digitally for the very first time, this vibrant release is lovingly updated with new artwork befitting the album’s energy. Listen to the album here and check out the animated visualizer for “Touching and Caring” here.
Nina’s Back features a number of memorable original Simone compositions. While classics “I Sing Just To Know I’m Alive” and “Fodder On Her Wings” are also featured on her 1982 album Fodder On My Wings, Simone is accompanied here by a band featuring horns and backup singers, for a recording that’s unique in her catalog.
In addition to their new release of Nina’s Back, Verve is planning to debut a short documentary on “Mississppi Goddam,” the protest anthem that marked one of the most influential moments in Simone’s career. Simone holds nothing back on the groundbreaking track, which has remained steadfastly relevant to this day. This documentary will highlight the timeliness of “Mississippi Goddam” 60 years after it was recorded and will debut March 21 on Simone’s YouTube channel.
2024 also marks the 60th anniversary of Simone’s signing to the Phillips label, a partnership that produced some of her most seminal works. For more information about Nina Simone and Nina’s Back, visit ververecords.com.
Tracklist:
It’s Cold Out Here
Porgy
I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive
For A While
Fodder On Her Wings
Touching And Caring
Saratoga
You Must Have Another Lover
Personnel:
Nina Simone – vocals, piano, arrangements
Arthur Adams – guitar, bass
Luke Metoyer – percussion
Ray Brown – trumpet
Allan Barnes – saxophone
George Bohanon – Trombone
The Waters Family – backing vocals
Hense Powell – synthesizer, trumpet, cornet, arrangements
Eddie Singleton – producer
Jim Bailey – recording, remixing