Wild Is the Wind in Bloomington, MN

This album was apparently a bit of a pastiche of leftovers from sessions for
Nina Simone
's four previous albums on
Philips
. But you'd never guess from listening; the material is certainly as strong and consistent as it is on her other mid-'60s LPs. As is the case with most of her albums of the time, the selections are almost unnervingly diverse, ranging from
jazz
ballads
to
traditional folk
tunes (
"Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair"
) to the near
calypso
of
"Why Keep on Breaking My Heart"
to the somber, almost chilling title track. Highlights are two outstanding
pop-soul
numbers written by the pre-
disco
Van McCoy
(
"Either Way I Lose,"
"Break Down and Let It All Out"
) and
"Four Women,"
a string of searing vignettes about the hardships of four African-American women that ranks as one of
Simone
's finest compositions. ~ Richie Unterberger