A songbird gone too soon

A few years ago, my son and I attended a James Taylor concert, one of our favorite artists. At the end, when Taylor sang "Sweet Baby James" as a soft lullaby, I cried like a baby as did most of the people my age in the audience.

Partly, Taylor moved me with the lyrics that took me back to long-ago, almost-forgotten days, but mostly it was the melancholy way he phrased the song that stirred my soul.

Those types of singers and artists don't come along very often. Let's face it, few of us feel moved to tears when hearing "Superbad" or "Sexy and I Know It."

Over the years, artists have recorded and rerecorded a handful of standards, and each has his or her own version of what they believe sounds good.

I can't count the number of renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" I've listened to – some atrocious, some barely recognizable as the national anthem and some pretty good – or the number of ways I've heard the Beatles' "Blackbird" mangled.

So when a friend suggested I listen to Eva Cassidy in connection with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," I clicked on the link with a bit of trepidation.

After all, Judy Garland owns this song, and no one comes close to singing the "Wizard of Oz's" signature song like Garland.

Until I heard Eva Cassidy.

The clip was filmed at The Blues Alley in 1996. Cassidy accompanies herself on the guitar, and her strumming is as masterful as her singing. Incredibly, the performance is live, and she soars through every note flawlessly.

But more than her masterful technical ability, Cassidy makes the listener feel the ache of wanting to be in a happier place, a place where troubles melt like lemon drops.

We believe what she's singing because her voice is genuine. No digital remastering in the studio. No electronic auto-tuning so we won't notice when she's off key.

Hooked, I found other videos of her singing, and each one is beautifully stunning. An hour later, I was back listening to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" again, but this time, sadder.

For Cassidy passed away in 1996 at the age of 33 from bone cancer. She was on her way to signing a record contract when she started having hip pain. By the time doctors discovered the reason for the pain, it was too late, and this beautiful songbird was taken far too soon.

During her brief singing career, she recorded enough songs for a few albums, and her selections reveal an artist who refused to be categorized.

She liked singing them all, she said, and she could make us mourn for "Danny Boy" and believe that, one day, we'll get across the mountains in our lives with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "The Water is Wide."

Millions of people know her music which is incredible as Cassidy died before finding fame. People comment on her YouTube videos every day, happy they've found this incredible singer, sad she's no longer with us.

Through the beauty of the Internet, we're able to hear her clear, pure voice, the emotions she felt from every musical genre coming across as clearly as if we were sitting in that smoky club on a Friday night.

Eva Cassidy was a down-to-earth musical magician who can still remind us that music is more than notes on a page – it's the secret passage to our souls.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.