Nina Simone first attracted public attention in 1958 with her raptly understated interpretation of George Gershwin's I Loves You Porgy. Her early recordings revealed that she had forged a unique piano style by fusing gospel, folk, blues, and jazz with her extensive training in classical music. And her voice was a rich, reedy instrument of rare expressiveness. Simone reached her peak during the mid-Sixties, when she became known as "the high priestess of soul," composing and interpreting message songs that made her the voice of the civil-rights movement, and later the more turbulent Black Revolution. Then there was a long silence. For most of the past two decades, she has lived abroad, becoming a ghostly cult figure. 

This new reissue draws from her earliest recordings on the long-defunct Colpix label, before she became known as an artist-activist. Since I am familiar with the treasures on those early albums, I must confess a certain amount of dissatisfaction at some of the choices made here. How could Billy Vera and Michael Cuscana, who produced this compilation, have chosen a version of I Loves You Porgy featuring singing violins and marred by a thin tunnel sound? 

And why did they overlook her interpretation of the Fields-McHugh composition Blues for Porgy from the wonderful "Nina at Newport" album? 

Still, there are some special moments to be found in this set, including the rousing folksy opener, Children Go Where I Send You, and three selections from her memorable "Forbidden Fruit" album. And while, admittedly, it would be impossible to capture the full range of Simone's gifts in little more than an hour, this disc is, at best, only a start. Now, if a more extensive Colpix follow-up were planned, or if Philips and RCA, labels for which Simone also recorded, would open up their vaults to let her soar again, the public might rediscover this sorceress of soul.