Welcome to part 2 of our French bistro-themed meal. In case you missed it, Kasey served sole roulades with crispy fried potatoes for the main course. I paired her recipe with Nouvelle Vague‘s eponymous debut. Kasey followed up the main course with a fluffy, rich chocolate souffle. It was melt-on-your-tongue delicious. A dessert that causes your brain to fire off all of its endorphins at once. So it requires a warm, soulful album that just uplifts your entire being. I think Nina Simone’s I Put a Spell On You is that album. It creates the perfect ambiance for your bistro-themed meal or for a romantic dinner. And really, what better way to put a spell on your special someone than by cooking them a chocolate souffle?
I Put a Spell On You was released in 1965, and features a number of songs that although not penned by Simone, were songs that she made famous including Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell On You,” the Broadway classic “Feeling Good,” and Jacques Brel’s “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” To be honest, it isn’t a perfect album – I literally find “Beautiful Land” to be nearly unlistenable. Nonetheless, you’ll rarely find an album with so many perfect songs. I particularly love “Feeling Good” which is one of those classics that definitely would find a space in my top ten songs of all time: it still manages to give me goosebumps every time I listen to it. And her take on “I Put a Spell On You” is smoky, soulful and flawless. This is an album you should go out and pick up if you don’t already have it. Of course, if you want a copy of this on wax – I’m pretty sure you are going to have to crate dig like I did to find a copy.
Nina Simone – Funkier That a Mosquito’s Tweeter (from the album Can You Dig It)
Head back to eating/sf to read the recipe for dark chocolate souffle.
