Eva Cassidy - Walkin' After Midnight (LP)

Eva Cassidy's Walkin' After Midnight collection is literally a ticket back to Eva's accidental Western Swing Night. A small gig at the King of France Tavern, downtown Annapolis. The 2nd of November, 1995, two months prior to her now famous Live At Blues Alley recordings. When two of Eva' s usual four band mates were unavailable, she improvised via an impromptu invite to musician friend Bruno Nasta.

Proving the old adage, less can be more, the resulting violin/lead-guitar/bass combo, together with Eva's acoustic guitar, created a serendipitous alternate context for some of Eva's most popular repertoire. Dancing in the space opened up by the absence of additional instruments, Eva's vocals are as joyous and free as any previously heard. Although 11 of the 13 songs appear on existing Eva albums, all 13 tracks are previously unreleased Eva Cassidy recordings.

Featuring as the finale to the album, Eva sends us home to the tune of her take on the Don Henley/Glenn Frey Western Themed masterpiece. Eva's vocal from Pearl's Restaurant, performed in the fall of 1994, is as pristine as ever. 30 years on, the other instruments have been replaced by Lenny Williams' Rhodes electric piano/Hammond B-3 organ parts. Who better to bridge the years than one of Eva's original musical partners who, ironically, was one of the two band members absent from her 1995 Walkin' After Midnight gig.