Personnel: Eva Cassidy (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chris Biondo (guitar, drum programming); Keith Grimes (guitar); Dan Cassidy, Mike Stein (violin); Chris Walker (trumpet); Lenny Williams (piano); Kent Wood, Hilton Felton, John Gillespie (organ); Larry Melton (upright bass); Raice McLeod (drums). Arranger: Eva Cassidy. This posthumous anthology is the perfect introduction to the astonishing vocal talents of Eva Cassidy, a young, relatively unknown singer who died of cancer at 33, just as her career was beginning to gain steam. Cassidy, a native of Washington D.C., gained local favor with her pure, straightforward tone and her lovely, tasteful interpretations of everything from standards to gospel to contemporary pop. SONGBIRD is a definitive best-of selection that picks from Cassidy's studio albums and shows the depth and breadth of her skills. SONGBIRD's perfection as a compilation is in its song choice, which covers Cassidy's takes on gospel ("Oh, Had I A Golden Thread"), soul (Curtis Mayfield's "Peop...