Belly of the Sun
By now, it's a moot point whether Cassandra Wilson is singing jazz or not. By unifying what were once considered disparate styles and song forms with her languorously rich vocals and offbeat instrumental textures, she has become the queen of her own genre. Largely recorded at a one-time train station in her native Mississippi,Belly of the Sunranges from country-blues greatFred McDowell's gritty "You Gotta Move" (popularized bythe Rolling Stonesand here featuring acoustic-guitar wiz Richard Johnston) to Brazilian immortalAntonio Carlos Jobim's winsome "Waters of March" (featuring a children's choir) to a hauntingly feminized version ofJimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman." Revealing her command of narrative material, Wilson draws seductive meaning fromBob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm" andthe Band's "The Weight." Featuring Kevin Breit and Marvin Sewell on all manner of guitars and related string instruments,Belly of the Sunalso boasts three strong Wilson originals, including "Just Another Parade," a jazzy-soulful duet withIndia Arie, and "Show Me a Love." As her own producer, Wilson comes up with less compelling backgrounds than Craig Street, who produced her darker-tinged breakthrough albums. Still, this is her most seamless, smoothest-flowing, and most effortlessly expansive recording. "I need to feel some rich black soil that's moist between my toes," she sings. You can feel her Southern roots in the grooves as well.--Lloyd Sachs