If you haven't seen the Netflix documentary about her, it's definitely worth watching. To summarize, Nina Simone was a complete badass, and I mean that with genuine respect. She was a very passionate, sometimes even militant, civil rights activist, and her method of activism was to get on stage and make other people feel her frustration. And she was brilliant, and they loved it.
#1.Nina Simone - "I Ain't Got No, I Got Life"(1968)
The incredible thing about this first song is that the lyrics are completely mundane and repetitive and yet she manages to pour her heart out and make you feel her pain and happiness. Her voice has an intense power independent of volume.
#2. Nina Simone - "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" (1967)
If an angel spent her life locked in a cage, this is what it would sound like on Sundays. The structure of this song is interesting, as Nina starts out almost whispering and ends almost screaming. The intensity ramps up so slowly that it's easy to miss.
#3. Nina Simone - "Baltimore" (1978)
Nina Simone, who was not a "reggae artist," happened to create a mind-blowing reggae song. If you really want to hear a cool bass line, check out the one during the chorus (at 1:50). It may sound simple, and it is, but the mood it elicits perfectly fits the vague struggle Nina's talking about ("Ol' Baltimore, ain't it hard just to live").
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