Cassandra Wilson — Music Videos

Cassandra Wilson is an American singer and songwriter from Mississippi whose music brings jazz into conversation with blues, folk, country, and contemporary song. Her low, richly textured voice is central, but the instrumental setting is often just as distinctive.

Blue Light ’Til Dawn and New Moon Daughter established her widely recognized approach to interpretation. The 2003 album Glamoured includes “Fragile” and “Lay Lady Lay,” songs transformed through the phrasing, atmosphere, and rhythmic character of her performances rather than simply reproduced in another style.

Listen for the space around the voice, the grain of an acoustic instrument, and the way a familiar melody changes when a line is delayed. Wilson’s recordings demonstrate how interpretation can make a well-known song feel newly personal.