Lady In Satin

Hard to not enjoy this. Revisiting on a Sunday morning with Bloody Mary in hand, smoking a cig indoors

What a sad album. Amazing.

Phenomenal, haunting, an exceptionally brave display of bravery and vulnerability

A treasure to the ears.

This is great 5/5

I really should have done this with brandy, or sherry. It was a cold winter night here in Canada to enjoy Lady Day. Always the best. The a cappella tracks are incredible to hear her phrasing.

Always great to listen to some BIllie Holiday. She was an even nicer get a pick this morning. As it’s a chilly winter morning and I was relaxing with a nice hot cup of coffee, cuddled up with the dog. 4.5 / 5 Also if you gave Billie a 1 star review, then I go look at your page and Bob Dylan albums are a 5. It’s not her singing that bothers you, trust me.

Beautiful music with soul touching vocs

My first real Billie Holiday Experience, and I loved it.

Majestic!

Brilliant, amazing, incredible, show stopping

Legendary 5/5

Sure

Outstanding. I've always had a thing for her voice. No matter what Billie is singing about, you feel it. She is one of the best to ever do it.

Just a really enjoyable album

elegant jazz music from yet another skilled singer who died way too soon. it's an unfortunate trend with some of these people... this is the final album that was recorded and released during holiday's lifetime. this album is VERY pretty sounding. i always feel relaxed and nostalgic for an era i've never experienced when listening to the kinds of soft jazz by holiday, fitzgerald... etta james comes to mind too. she's got a really unique voice, and she knows how to control it too. i close my eyes and imagine myself in a cozy cabin or restaurant, a blizzard outside and i'm just comfy and safe, sipping on a drink.

Full disclosure, I was going to give this five stars before hearing a note because, even though I hadn’t heard this album before, I’d never listened to anything by Billie Holiday and not been blown away and/or torn apart. There is no other voice like it, not just in terms of tone but in emotion. If you can’t hear her pain, love, or whatever she’s putting out, you have to be even more dead inside than I am.

This was recorded in 1958 near the end of Holiday's life. Listen to the Centennial Edition to hear the many takes it took to get to the final recording. Excellent recording !

What a beautiful album. It's like one long 44 minute suite on heartbreak. Billie sounds rough and raw but sincere and serene. The orchestration was created to sort of "cover" for her voice, but I find it adds so very nicely and doesn't ever intrude

I was a bit turned off by the raspy voice and just my own unfimiliarity of the genre but wow I was blown away. Its so sad and love sick but its also so unbelievably classy as well. And its just all around beautiful. I got used to billies unique vocal delivery pretty quick and fell into a relaxed state with the just smooth instrumentation. What a crazy beautiful record as a whole. Just cant say enough about how killer this is. My favorite track I think has to be Glad to be Unhappy. Just gorgeous. Great record and after some time thinking on it it needs full credit. A+ work

Masterpiece

Klassisk, perfekt, for en stemme, elsk.

None of my favourite Billie Holiday songs, but obviously she's still an incredible singer.

Classic. Her voice is so full of feeling!

Beautiful iconic voice. Not my personal taste but can’t deny her greatness

I was moved. Never heard anything this beautiful before.

Canciones increíbles, orquestación y arreglos maravillosos, pero sobre todo, la voz de Holiday que taladra el corazón y recuerda que por más amor que tengamos dentro de nosotros, lo más probable es que ahí se quedará y terminará convirtiéndose en lágrimas que desaparecen bajo la lluvia.

Classic album - beautiful songs with a beautiful voice.

Easy 5. Love Lady Day.

Heartbreakingly lovely

This is the sort of jazz I can appreciate. Tunes, lyrics, emotional delivery. I love Billie Holiday - I appreciate her more in smaller doses but she deserves the love.

A really good album, I love Billie Holiday's voice. I liked You Don't Know What Love Is and I'm a Fool To Want You the most.

Bless Billie Holiday. I love her music

I had just given five stars to a Ella Fitzgerald album. Because... DUH! So when I heard this I was like "is it really as good as that?" "Is there something more special in that other album that is not here?" But as I thought about it... What the heck am I even thinking? This is sofa king amazing! Holy moly! Billie Holiday is a frickin' jazz ICON. She is a GOAT among jazz singers. I could listen to this stuff all day long and probably have a better life for it! I think that some musicians, bands, singers... they go to a form of Tour De France categories. In that famous bike race all of the mountain stages are categorized from 1 to 4 by difficulty. It makes it easier for people to know when to watch and give the cyclists an idea of how hard their day will be. But, they have something called above category. When it is so steep and hard that they don't even classify it. I think people like Billie Holiday are above category. There is no point in arguing.

her voice manages to both heal me and stab me 43 times and thats why she is an icon

Спокойные 50е для вечернего коктейля

Billie Holiday, what is not to like. Incredible lady, incredible talent. A nice Sunday afternoon listen around the house. Highly recommended.

definitely an album that should only be listened to on vinyl or heard live in a smoky bar after getting your heart broken

Nobody can compete with the way she delivered a lyric.

Épico

Sunday coffee

Reminds me of spending time with grandma

Holiday's voice might not have been in the best shape anymore for recording this album, but I still very much enjoyed her performance of the songs, accompanied by beautiful orchestral arrangements.

Love it

own

I loved this record. Beautiful, dreamy, soothing.

More velvet than satin

I liked this! A nice lil album I was thinking that the songs were all a bit similar but I liked them 4.5 rounded up to 5, I think the last couple of songs helped bump it up

another genre i've heard a lot from and loved for a long time but never fully delved into...Holiday's tender, pained vocals never cease to amaze 10/10

Fantastic, no surprise there.

Really beautiful singing but such a shame that her life was taking its toll.

Eleanora (aka Lady Day) is basically the best female singer ever, and listening to this is a reminder to anyone who might think otherwise. Even the outtakes and alternate versions add value - which is not usually the case with repackaged versions of old albums! I wish there was more film of her, and even more recorded music, but plan to fully explore her back catalogue when i have time (ie after the list!)

Beautiful, haunting record. I did not know Billie Holiday didn’t make it to the 60s!

One of the greatest singers of the 20th century. The bittersweet way she songs matches these songbook classics well. The jazz accompaniment perfectly matches her voice.

Brilliant.

Nice!

I mean ya gotta love Billie

Beautiful and timeless

Well, first of all Billie Holiday gets a 5, so jot that down. Taking a step back - Is this a sensible pick? I have no idea. I've listened to quite a lot of her stuff, but it all tended to be either best ofs, or massive box sets of everything from a specific label or era, so I don't have much of a sense of which albums are her most important one. I don't think I recognized any of these songs, which maybe means something? I think I'm more used to hearing her with a more stripped back accompaniment, too? These arrangements felt a bit more lush than I'm used to - maybe even a little OTT? Still pretty lovely, of course. Fave tracks - "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "The End of a Love Affair"

Wundervolle Stimme, tolle Balladen.

I'm always going to be obsessed with Billie Holiday and this is why

I am not reviewing the extra tracks other than "The end of a love affair" Just knowing that this was her last album before death jesus This is so so sad like she was heartbroken from the hard life she lived and to end on these doldrums of broken promises and relationships is hard and the instrumentation is beautiful here. Listen I know its all covers but Billie Brings a beauty and kinda finality with these. You've changed is such a sad sad song that just takes me back to past loves that have move passed and I have been both the singer and the subject. But beautiful has a great solo in the middle which just crescendos with the flutes ahhh Billie also adds these flutes over some of the songs which make them so much more interesting. I could listen to her voice for hours and I have there is nothing to hate here she came back after 16 years to sing songs outside of her style and it is shown to you from Im a fool to want you

What Billie Holiday’s voice lost due to age and health issues, it more than made up for with experience and gravitas. There is no-one better at portraying the emotional turmoil of life and love. And if I may rant for a little, I think it’s a shame that we’ve lost the shared cultural heritage of standards. Lady In Satin presents possibly some definitive versions of some, but there are dozens of other interpretations of a lot of these songs, and they’re all fantastic. American’s especially, this is your culture, this is your contributions to art and to the great folk tradition that you’re ignoring. Just, go and listen to some Standards, please

Fantastic album

Listen at: 10/02/2024

That was absolutely delightful. I listened to it while reading the last few episodes of the Crossed comic books, so it was a wonderful juxtaposition of lush musicality and over sexualized Gore.

Despite her voice not being what it once was, her interpretations are full of feeling and nuance. I don’t think any voice can compare to her originality and heart 4.5

She's the GOAT for a reason. Beautiful album.

Wow Billie Holiday, what an all-time absolute stunner!! In every way! The distinctive unique jazz voice, it's so relaxing and beautiful. I just don't know how she even made those sounds with her voice. I especially enjoyed listening to The End of a Love Affair - Audio Story such a cool insight! The only negative is that she sung covers really. I reckon if she were an artist now someone would have written her her own songs which would have been even more epic. A lot of these tracks I only associate with Billie Holiday so I guess that's a big success and says it all really. I can get a bit samey but I don't mind that at all, it's beautiful.

Wunderbar!!! Wenn man einfach mal entspannen möchte, diese Musik und diese Stimme ist einfach nur Balsam.

What a phenomenal way to start 2024! Holiday’s smoky, world-weary voice is the perfect instrument to bring these standards to life.

It's different than summer of the other albums I've heard of hers. It seems more delicate and kinda has a different vibe from her earlier recordings. Billie has such a great voice. She could sing nursery rhymes and if be good with it.

I was like “Ya I like Billie Holiday, I know what to expect, this will be good.” Two songs I was like “what is happening??” and by the end I was floored. Have since read a bit about the production of the album. Amazing. One of a kind.

beautiful

At the risk of sounding pretentious amongst the rest of the reviews here, I loved every song on this, great album. Very relaxing

Forever album. Could listen to on any Sunday lazy morning. Her voice gets me every time

It's good to not even try to like this. It's not really Jazz in my view as the orchestration and her voice take the whole thing. I have heard ths before and t be honest her voice was wrecked by this time but I could listen to this all day and all night it's so smooth and subtle.

Every note by every musician in this session is not just played, it's lived.

Wow, ok. So we're doing the Billie 'comeback'/swansong album instead of her peak I suppose. Though you can't really talk of albums as such going back to the 30s. Yeah that first track is a real punch in the guts. The contrast between her now frayed, heroin-ravaged voice and the somewhat twee orchestral backing. Almost feels like a precursor to that 80s Marianne Faithful record the other day in that sense. She's a legend and the ultimate.

One of the best albums of all time

Bioshock Vibes, mag ich.

Billie freaking Holliday.

10/10 idk why people hate on Billie Holiday’s voice it’s so beautiful!

Love it

Really dig Billie’s voice. Such a rich timbre with a lot of emotion. The arrangements don’t get in the way.

One of the best voices ever.

Own on Vnyl

The Original Queen

Billie Hoilday's voice <insert heart emoji>

Such a great singer. I liked the orchestral arrangements. Favorites are “End of a Love Affair” and “But Beautiful”

Anything she‘s done is a 5, one of my favorite voices of all time. To be honest I don’t really love these records with the full orchestral arrangements and strings. I always prefer small group stuff in general but I think it sounds especially cheesy in a jazz setting. That said I totally understand the desire for her to make a record like this in her career, there are so many great raw jam session and small group recordings of her, it’s cool that she wanted to do something different.

God, she's great. Her vocal tone is so interesting. I love this album so much. Such a mood.

Weary and wishing. And WOW. Billie Holiday is a legend, but one I hadn't dedicated much focused listen toward. This album is a journey and her now-raspy voice reflects a well-worn life, full of wisdom and regret, but with hope remaining. And emotional listen that left me speechless. Many of the 1,001 can be debated. LADY IN SATIN cannot be debated. It is essential.

Excellent

Arguably the greatest jazz singer. Later Billie Holiday has a rawness that her earlier work did not have. A ravaged, alcohol abused voice didn't help. It works (similar to Marianne Faithfull). This is a classic that every music fan should listen to (and own - I am old school).

Vraiment certaine chanson sur cet album on quelque chose de spéciale. Son sens d'expression, malgré son range qui n'Est pas très grand sur cette album amène une dimension qui est assez incroyable. Ce n'est pas poour tout les occasions ni pour toute les personnes. MAis on doit avoir écouté cet album. Beaucoup de melancolie et de beauté. 5

good but sad

Billie is a national treasure. Nothing but love for this album.

Whacked it on cleaning - felt very lovvy

Billie Holiday is a classic.

So this is towards the end of her career, and I've seen some mention her voice was shot by then. But this album captures an amazing delicacy and sheer emotion. Really quite special.

Her voice is incredible. I don’t usually listen to this everyday but anytime Billie holiday gets out on I will listen to it all the way through. One of Americas all time greats.

Such a unique emotional voice. Outstanding as usual from Billie. Timeless.

I have mixed feelings about this late recording of Billie Holiday ... I prefer her earlier recordings, when her voice was more dynamic and the instrumentation less heavy. This album is heartbreaking, a picture of Billie at the end of her life, beaten down by drug and alcohol abuse and life circumstances. She sounds so beaten, tired, and sad ... Yet, I'd rather listen to my least favorite Billie Holiday album than 98% of music out there. It is not possible for me to give her less than 5 stars, ever. And listening to this again, I'm wondering if I should give it more of a shot. There is something so poignantly powerful in this effort.

nice

Amazing

This is clearly iconic and also sad as fuck. Billie's voice is everything and I'm thinking about how important she's been for gay men over the decades- there's Frank O'Hara's "The Day Lady Died" (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42657/the-day-lady-died) or the Magnetic Fields -- My Only Friend (https://genius.com/The-magnetic-fields-my-only-friend-lyrics) She's miserable and beautiful and the gays have been eating since the 50's. Sop it up!

I dont even know what words could review this album. Billie's voice is one of the greatest enjoyments available to humans. 5/5

Loved Billie Holiday long before this, but finally got a chance to appreciate to album in its entirety. Absolutely amazing, I love it!!

5 I just love these songs. "In The Wee Small Hours" was amazing, so of course this is too.

Like being wrapped in a blanket. Wonderful.

Billie Holiday....... good shit

I made the mistake of playing this while I ate lunch alone today. I didn't have much time to linger, but I completely forgot where I was, when it was, who I was... I was completely drawn into it, floating along with this beautiful heartache, feeling feeling feeling.

Well the lush orchestrations were an unexpected feature. Not quite what I'm used to from Billie Holiday but glad to have been introduced. Happy to float along on the sound of the strings and flutes and her incredible voice.

In 1958, one of the greatest singers of the 20th century released her last album before her death. A memorable masterpiece on which she once again delivered a record that stands through time. She may have lost much of her upper range due to heroin addiction, but her delivery is infused with her experience both tragic with its abusive relationships, prison stints and drug addiction, and triumphant with her musical success. Everyone need this record in their collection

Beautiful

I like it a lot

Beautiful, incandescent, glorious.

Stunning phrasing, beautiful arrangements. Spellbinding talent.

Love sucks

Dásamlega plata!

perfection

This album just brings a crackling fireplace wherever you go. Very lovely album, mostly because her voice is very pleasant.

Masterpiece

The title is right - it's so smooth!

It just sounds nice. 9/10

Heel rustgevend, prachtige stem, met veel gevoel gezongen

Absolutely stunning.

Magnificent voice. I'm not into jazz yet, but it's a good starting point.

Unusual voice atop lovely lyrics. I am enjoying it a lot. Will listen again (and again)

false

Her voice is so good. It’s raspy, but beautiful. I can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve heard her. She deserves every bit of praise and respect that she gets, and then some

¡Excelente!

Billie Holiday's voice 😍😭

So so beautiful! Probably the first album in this project, that transcends to the level of art.

Outstanding

oh yesss. am i going to listen to a billie holiday album and not give it 5 stars? i dont think so. its just perfect. he casual mastery of her instrument is incredible. the orchestration does just enough.

always wonderful to listen to. such an easy listen, soft jazz and beautiful singing.

Love Billie Holiday, this was so smooth

feels like the movie princess and the frog. just has that southern cajun blues feel.

Phenomenal voice, phenomenal lyrics, great instrumentals. Really teleported me back to an older time. She kind of sounds like Louis Armstrong but woman edition. Fire.

I was a little shook that was not what I thought Billie Holliday was going to sound like; she sounded like a female Louis Armstrong Very raspy

- woke up and saw this was the album for today and grinned. Gonna be a good day

Great voice and nice atmosphere

lovely album

Hit me right while cooking dinner

Such an iconic sound. Her vocals are really one of one. I appreciate that the producers seemed to really let her go and make each song her own.

The last album to be released in Lady Day's lifetime and her first to be recorded with full orchestral arrangements, courtesy of Ray Ellis, after she had checked out the successes of Frank and Ella with Nelson Riddle and others. By this stage her voice was ravaged by drug and alcohol abuse but its lived in quality is entirely unique and she's getting by on her significant early vibrato technique. It is a selection of lesser known Great American Songbook choices and probably better for it. A significant moment in musical history - Billie Holiday not performing with an intimate combo.

85

Beautifully written and performed tunes. Happiness and pain.

ihri stimm isch chli kommmisch? oder komisch ufgno hahaha finds bis jz seehr herzig aber weiss nanig recht was demit ahfange okii ich glaub ich han mich chli draa gwöhnt und chan mi meh uf de rest fokussiere hahaha it's easy to remember hani easy cute gfunde ich han am ahfang würkli chli müeh gha aber omg die reduzierti aber au sehr extravaganti musig mit ihrere komische aber au verletzliche stimm het mi ABGHOLT

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. Very nice, classic romantic songs. I've listened to some Billie Holiday before but never a full album. Good stuff

At a certain point, you need to accept that we can't really judge or critique Billie Holiday. Even though this is her last album, she's lost a lot of her upper registrar, and its a sad, slow, wonderful records, it still so good as compared to almost anything else. She dominates the soundscape of the record and the emotion she's able to capture in her singing is nearly unparalleled. While she's only racing against herself, and by that metric she's losing slightly, her pretty good is still so much higher than anyone else's. Slight ding also for repetitiveness.

very distinct voice. not an everyday album, but lovely to listen to at the right moment.

#124/1001 🇺🇸 Billie had the most unreal singing voice and this album showcases it wonderfuly. The production is slick (maybe a little too much so) and the assembled band and backing singers are immaculate too. Best tracks: I get on without you very well, , I'll be around, End of a love affair.

Vind dit moeilijk te raten want ik vond het heel cool maar heb het niet af geluisterd omdat ik op de helft mn fill wel gehad had. Maar ik ga gwn uit van de 'wow dit is sick' die ik bij het eerste nummer ervoer.

Billie Holiday is heel goed, maar het is zo intens dat het net te heftig wordt. Ik kan haar gewoon niet langer dan een kwartier luisteren.

Well that was a tragedy. I loved it.

prachtig album, erg emotioneel, wat een leven zit er in. banger orkest ook, shoutout ray ellis. het heeft wel een beetje het probleem wat ik met veel van dit soort jazz heb, dat het hele album een beetje eentonig gaat klinken na een tijdje

A witch who puts dirty martinis and cigar smoke in her cauldron

Relaxed, jazzy, love it! Probably *need* to buy it on vinyl!

4.5

super sweet an soft - definitely a warm Christmas album.

Pleasant af!

probably the most tempestuous of the jazz singers of the 50s, but also one of the most iconic, right up there with ella and etta. it's a real shame that her life was so much more unfortunate than the other two; she might've lived longer and given us another album or two, who knows. i certainly would have loved more holiday to listen to. fuck all the people who were cruel to her and used her, i guess. but also fuck the system that allowed it to happen idk some really, really excellent work here. this is one of my favorite versions of the standard "I Get Along Without You Very Well" (first place goes to chet baker, sorry for being basic). her voice is just this unique mix of smooth and punchy, and i don't think anyone before or since has really gotten that same kind of timbre-- maybe winehouse a little bit, outside of jazz? my heart absolutely breaks listening to "I'll Be Around" because it's the last track* on might as well be the "final" album of her lifetime (although the self-titled record that got renamed was released in the same month she died, for some reason, I associate this one as holiday's "last" autonomous work; maybe that's because Last Recording got manhandled in the wake of her death). people treated this woman like shit and her last song is literally about how a guy can treat her however, because his other loves are fleeting-- he's bound to return to her. and then she fucking dies. god dammit. great album and fuck you to the reviewers who said "it all sounds the same" do you have ears? do sinatra and dean martin all sound the same to you, too?? don't answer that *the last track on the standard stereo release. the mono release had a fucking cry for help in "The End of a Love Affair", which went completely unanswered, although by that time billie was gonna die anyway so whatever. god listening to this record just made me re-angry about how this woman was treated in her lifetime wtf

Very moody, dreamy, cool, chill, lovely

Vamos hoy con un grosa del jazz, a la que tengo poco escuchada. Todo el disco es un encanto, tanto por la voz de Billie Holliday como por la música. La música relaja y deja la mente en paz. Las canciones tienden a ser parecidas unas a las otras, lo que refuerza esa sensación anterior. Muchas gracias y hasta mañana

The voice is starting to fade but the magic is still there.

blown away by her voice... and those arrangements!!

generator i was not familiar with your GAME 🤧. rip to a young 🐐. don't let the bastards get you down. that said. late stage holiday has a nina simone timbre thing goigng on that just. Works. ray ellis gives her a lush sonic bed to just be. so fucking MELANCHOLIC. cried genuine tears when "you've changed" finished #bisexuallimerencewave. there's a old man bond movie concept (make it like the day of the doctor it'd be 👩‍🍳) that you could use this album and build a davinci timeline around. ending your last album on this earth with "the end of a love affair" it's just. 💋🤌. i'll defend the beach boys love you for similarly insane reasons. 4-4.3.

Interesting juxtaposition of the silky smooth jazz orchestra arrangements and Billie Holiday's voice. 4 stars

It's your typical midcentury crooner album, but it's a good example of it. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

Did a bit of background reading on this one while listening to it and my opinion is probably more than a little coloured by that. I didn't really know anything about Billie Holiday beforehand. It also prompted me to go and listen to some other of her tracks for a bit of a comparison. Billie's voice here has a different quality to it, that I can only assume comes from the fact that she was, frankly, not at her best. Despite that, she delivers some incredible emotion and still has the same jazz phrasing. As an album, it's a little samey, but the orchestral backing is perfect for Billie's voice. It's as comforting and calming as it is sad. I'm having a really hard time trying to rate this. I usually reserve "4" ratings for things I'd go back to, and I don't know if I would go back to this specific album... but I'm glad to have heard it, and I'm glad to know more about Lady Day. Think it deserves an exception.

first listen fantastic

Probably the oldest album I've ever listened to but super relaxing I must admit.

classic jazz album

As much as I love Billie Holiday's voice, this album isn't my favorite. The elaborate orchestral arrangements popular at the time don't do anything for me, and in fact I think sort of detract from her amazing voice. The 4 rating I'm giving is not because of Billie, but overall it's not my favorite way to listen to her.

What a voice. Like your grandma on heroin. That’s a compliment. She sounds like an imperious cat who likes expensive jewelry. Billie Holiday is like if Eartha Kitt was raised in a castle, so she lost some ferality but gained regality. None of the is makes sense. She’s wonderful, and I’m not just saying that because this album followed KISS’s “Destroyer”.

Listening to this album is like stepping into a time machine. It’s rare to hear a production like this nowadays, with Holiday’s textured but subtle singing somehow balanced with a full orchestra. But even more than the tasteful arrangements, the album’s relationship with time gives it that aura from another era. Despite declaring, “I walk a little too fast and I drive a little too fast,” Holiday seems to be in no rush to move through this record. The pacing demands a lot from the modern listener, but once you settle into the music, you realize that there’s no place else you need to go.

A great Swan Song by another influential voice of 20th century American music. The voice behind these iconic songs leaves the listener feeling even more aloof and sedated than they would be having heard some of the songwriters sing (Sinatra, for example) In "Lady In Satin" Holiday's aged voice is consistent, delivering emotion and message like a well oiled machine, rarely faltering or sputtering. Maintaining the message the pieces were intended to provoke; pensive sadness. 3.5

Billie Holiday’s smooth yet raspy voice on Lady in Satin goes down like a long, slow sip of properly aged Kentucky bourbon—and that’s saying something, considering I rarely drink the stuff. The album is beautifully sultry, filled with an incredible sense of longing, and often feels like the ideal record to put on during a lazy Sunday afternoon—slow-dancing in the living room with the one you love while the room is cast in long shadows. I feel a little sorry for fellow listeners working through the 1001 Albums list who dismiss this record as boring, claim all the songs sound the same, or fault Holiday for not writing the material herself. By focusing on those minor details, they miss the point entirely. It’s unfortunate they can’t fully appreciate a jazz singer like Billie Holiday or recognize the depth of her talent, because it truly shines here.

There's no denying who's singing when this album hits your ears. Her raspy emotional and haunting voice really lends itself well to the musical selections. This is dark, candle-lit tables in a basement, jazz club music and it's really enjoyable.

Found it hard to reconcile that she was struggling with a heroin addiction at this time with her voice on this record. She sounds great to me. Majestic, soulful, honest, refreshing, beautiful, sparse and bare. Really liked this, 4 out of 5 stars.

Billie Holiday is one of the greats, an artist I've loved for as long as I can remember, and one of the cornerstones of my musical awakening when I was younger. So of course I'm going to love this album. That said, this one doesn't quite work as well as some of her earlier recordings. It's fair to say that by the time she went into the studio to record this one, her voice had lost some of the power and range she exhibits in her early career, and to some degree that's compounded by the more muted tonal style of the tracks themselves. However, it's also undeniable that what this album lacks in vocal and musical excitement, it more than makes up for with emotional impact. You can't listen to this album without getting a lump in your throat. This is Lady Day telling the world she's still got the power to grab you by the heart, even if she hasn't got the voice any more. For me, her recordings with Clef will always be the height of her back catalogue, with Lady Sings the Blues being my favourite, but this is still a damned fine album and worth at least four out of five stars.

When to listen: Sunny Sunday morning brunch. I love Billie Holiday but these songs just kind of blended together for me, so I docked off a point. I know her other albums have more range. Her voice and her vibe is incredibleeee

Pretty good album, not much to add

Relaxing Fave track: I'm a Fool to Want You

Not the Billie Holiday I'm used to. I guess you can't include her classic recordings without choosing a compilation. Still very good. Surprising how well her voice works with these kind of late 50s lush arrangements.

3.5 stars. Musically very similar to Sinatra (jazz). Slow, contemplative expressive voice.

When it's time for loving.

This is a beautiful album. Billie's voice is sultry and has such a unique sound and tone that just draws you in. The instrumentals are soft, airy and smooth. They give you a real sense of peace and paint a beautiful picture with each note. When you combine the two you get a beautiful album that paints a serene picture of life events that may not be the most uplifting, but it does it in a way that encapsulates you and draws you in. You can't help but appreciate how beautiful the album sounds.

Beautiful, gorgeous. Wanted to like it more than I do. The raspiness in her voice can be a little harsh for my taste at times, but my god I’m grateful to know this albums exists.

Very melancholic album. I think the toll that age has taken on Holiday's voice is really a double-edged sword here. It both adds a lot of emotional intensity and a sense of wistfulness to many of the songs, but it also definitely limits her range in a way that saps energy. Favorite Songs: "I'm a Fool to Want You", "You've Changed", "The End of a Love Affair" Least Favorite Song: "But Beautiful" Low 4.

God this album just works. Holiday near the end of her career and life has a voice that has lost all of it's lustre, but without all of that shine the true emotion and pain that she is singing about pierces through this record and into your ears. Maybe there are other versions of these songs sung by people whose voices are in better shape, but the pain and humanity that Holiday brings is completely unmatched. The big band backing is also fantastic, giving an ethereal backing as Holiday sings herself into her grave. I really like this album, but even with all that is has it's flaws, mainly that it has the exact same sound throughout. That's normal for albums like this, where the artist is recording standards and songs from the Great American Songbook, but the lack of originality is noticeable throughout. As a result, this album is less what we would call an album today (i.e. a compilation of songs that create a story or feeling that is controlled tightly by the artist to give you a unique experience while you listen to it), and instead is just a collection of songs that the artist wanted to sing. As an album, it doesnàt really work because of that. But as a collection of songs it is great, and I will definitely be listening to it again. Just, one song at a time maybe, as by the end the tracks started to blend into each other. Highlights include I Get Along Without You Very Well, Violets for Your Furs, Glad to Be Unhappy and The End of a Love Affair.

I mean, she’s no Aretha Franklin, but there’s something very compelling about her voice. Really stunning standouts on this, but it feels very homogenous. As good as the orchestra behind her is, they really only play one song this entire time. Still really strong though, I was really impressed. Favorites: I’m A Fool to Want You, You Don’t Know What Love Is, Glad to Be Unhappy

A late Holiday

Old school black blues

Legendary. Amazing voice - groundbreaking. It's tough to judge Billie against newer acts because it's so foundational, but here goes: it's very well-produced and polished. Her voice is outstanding. This selection of songs is great, but gets a little sleepy. Still - 9/10.

Love Holiday, bwautiful voice, sensitive music. Just don't think this album represented her best.

It is a beautiful album, and she is deservedly one of the greats of this time and style! I loved reading about the history of this album, and there is a certain additional sadness around this being the second last album she made, and the last to be released while she was alive. I will be honest and say I do not typically listen to this style of music, but the orchestra is gorgeous and cinematic, and the bit of grit in her voice as she aged is lovely. It has put me in a distinctly melancholic place today.

Billie could sing the dictionary and it would sound beautiful. I just feel sad that all the songs towards the end of her life were about heartbreak. Maybe all her songs were about heartbreak the whole time?? Listening to this will give your day a softly sad romantic edge. This kind of music isn't how I personally take my melancholy, but I can appreciate the beauty of it.

Music from the 50s now feels like it's kinda from another world, Billie Holliday has such a famous and perfect voice that it's a bit like trying to review a faberge egg or a Ming vase or something. Once again takes me back to the weird phase of my teenage years when I was a 16 year old heavily into vocal jazz. That big sense of all-consuming melancholy that drew me to it then is still there and is kinda irresistible.

Billie is an icon with a discography to match. This is the sound of a star in its final form, full of experience and emotion and beyond confidence into acceptance whilst still holding it together. The voice is raspy but that just adds a layer. The music is beautifully done with sweeping orchestral to follow the emotion in her voice.

I love the weariness in her voice, I enjoyed it more than the recordings of her voice from earlier years. It was quite beautiful on my first listen. On a second listen I found it a decent bit harder to get through however. Rating: 3.8

Beautiful

¿Sabes como llegué a Billie Holiday? A través de una compilación de Verve Records con remixes electrónicos. Ya me había extrañado su ausencia en esta lista. Es que su voz es magnífica.

Vocal jazz is a genre I don't spend much time listening to. It's beautiful, but it's rarely what I'm looking for. This is the kind of music a movie character's grandmother dances to in a wedding flashback. It's been really hard to meet these records where they're at. I'm sure if you're in a sad, sentimental mood, this record hits hard. That's just not where I'm at right now. That said, the fact that I'm not in a place to emotionally receive this record, does not change it's greatness. But if I don't actually enjoy the listening experience that much, how do I know it's great? Because it's critically acclaimed? Because I've heard the name Billie Holiday thrown around a lot? It's a hard problem to solve.

stirring string arrangements and her voice enrapturing. not the type of music I throw on often // this was excellent in its own right.

Enjoyable

Just a beautiful sung jazz / mid century pop album from the 50's, with a lovely Orchestra to back it. i could just listen this to this all day and not get bored haha

If I listened to this album as a child, I would think that this is so boring. But as an adult, I can fully appreciate the feel of this album. It makes you appreciate the little things in life more, the flowers, the birds and the sky. She has such beautiful vocals and would fit in perfectly with a bittersweet movie.

Beautiful singing; with sadness always coming through. Just right for a meloncholy sunday evening.

I love the raspiness and wavering of her voice mixed with the lightness of the orchestra. And when the angelic background voices chime in, there’s another level. I listened to this sitting on my porch watching the snow fall and I can’t think of a better way to do it. You don’t know what love is is a standout for me.

Beautifully sad songs.

For the final album from Lady Day we get to hear her sing with an accompanying 40-piece orchestra led by Ray Ellis. Her voice is not what it was early in her career, but that does not make it any less emotionally impactful. To my ear, it is the contrast of the sometimes-raspy vocals imposed against the beautiful string arrangements that make the album feel more genuine, lending to its emotional impact. Holiday wanted to make a pretty album and got exactly what she was hoping for. Holiday is among the most important jazz singers in history. She considered her voice to an instrument and sought to emulate her favorite musicians. The unique phrasing that resulted is immediately recognizable and continues to inspire generations later. Holiday is not just a seminal jazz singer; her artistry was important to the transformation of pop music away from rote interpretations of pre-written standards toward unique expressions from the artists. Holiday has a hard and turbulent life. It is poignant that her final record would be one focused beauty. It may not be her best work, but that doesn’t mean it is not a magnificent record. This is absolutely an album that everyone should listen to at least once before they die.

So classic

Billie Holiday is the greatest jazz vocalist ever. The tragedy of her life story only adds to her legacy. Even though this is late in her career after her voice was losing it's edge, it's still amazing.

me gusta sufrir en todos los lenguajes, y mas cuando billie holiday esta cantando. fave: glad to be unhappy

4/5

Billie with the velvet pipes! Lady crooner music and it hits so well, I can see myself drinking a scotch on the rocks at a 50's cocktail bar bummed out I cant solve a case and my lady left me. I've been playing L.A. Noire recently. My only gripe is I genuinely cant differentiate a lot of these songs from each other, they arent bad by any means, just very similar. Great wallowing music.

Billie H has a great voice and this album was a nice soothing listen. Despite every song sounding exactly the same and all seemingly flowing into each other, I still enjoyed it quite a bit

Solid album from a music legend

A really soothing classic vocal jazz album. Great performances and very relaxing to sit and listen to. Could have used maybe one song with a little more standout energy for variety's sake, but overall a really great album. Top tracks: I'm a Fool to Want You, You Don't Know What Love Is, But Beautiful

for a noir soundtrack, 5/5. for other purposes it's just a little too slow for me.

Very pleasant listen

eigentlich richtig schöne musik, etwas einseitig, schöne instrumentals aber ihre stimme ist leider anstrengend 💔

Beautiful, classic, instantly recognisable voice, very pleasant, most of the songs sound very similar to each other but i don't mind, kind of trancey in a way

Nice album to sit inside with in the rain

Classic Billie Holiday songs. You get what you expect in this one.

She's got some pupes and a story to tell

This made me feel real emotions. “It’s easy to remember and so hard to forget.” Her voice feels like it transports you back in time

Ik vind dit eigenlijk wel een relaxte plaat vandaag. Ik heb het ook vies druk ondertussen. Het is allemaal wat veel van hetzelfde, maar ik kan het prima aan hebben staan. Doet een beetje denken aan oude films. Die zijn als je in de juiste gemoedstoestand bent ook tof om te kijken, terwijl je je op andere dagen kapot zou vervelen. Vandaag valt 'ie goed dus. Ik ga gek doen en een 4 geven. Het had op een andere dag ook een 2 kunnen zijn, want ze doet wel wat gekkig met die ietwat dunne stem van d'r.

Great vocals from a legend.

Оркестровки з біг бендом - не мій супровід для вокального джазу. Хоч і все дуже розкішно та багато звучить. Але який у неї тут ламкий голос порівняно з більш ранніми записами. Мене це дуже розчулює. Ну і є діаманти як Glad to Be Unhappy 4.5

Holiday sounds like she is fighting to get the sounds out. The contrast with the really delicate arrangement is striking. It’s a haunting performance.

Very enjoyable

100% fallout vibes, nice vocals, nice music, very comfy

Her voice is so good.

Heard some of these songs from fallout

this was so enjoyable to listen to and sounded so warm and smooth. I can’t tell if I like her vocal style a ton but it’s definitely impressive. I’m so grateful to be getting more jazz-influenced albums on here. My only complaint is that all of the songs kind of blend together a little too much and feel pretty similar. Fav songs: violets for your furs, glad to be unhappy

I like this somewhat grizzled, older Billie, just as smooth and deeply emotive as ever.

4.5

3.5

I will have to say I much prefer *Lady Sings The Blues* to this one. One thing about this album that's a bit heartbreaking is her vocals which are already showing wear and tear from the drugs and the abuse. Though she does still have the capability of letting the emotion run through. I sometimes think the strings are a bit much I know she was trying to go for a more Frank Sinatra feel , but I think her vocal style really fits a more intimate jazz instrumentation setting . But she still pulls off a really beautiful set of songs. 8.4 ★★★★

Wonderful performances of really good songs. The strings get a bit syrupy. 4.5 stars

Billie Holiday was a rare talent. Every song on this album is absolutely gorgeous. But - if I'm being honest - it's a little too much of the same. Torch songs are great, especially with a voice like Billie's, but for an album, there needs to be some contrast. You need some lights to make the darks pop. A little bit of orange to make the blue more intense. Every songs on the album is beautiful, but they're all roughly the same tempo and same sound, and that's why, in my opinion, the album as a whole falls short of absolute brilliance.

I've got a bit of a fun personal anecdote regarding this album. So, a few months ago as of writing this, I went to a senior residential area that was having a garage sale of sorts. I've actually been building up a CD collection that's mostly albums from this list and I wanted to see if I could find any favorites from the project. I kind of figured it would lean older in terms of what music was there, but it leaned even further than that. It was mostly old jazz and classical recordings. My main goal was to get as many albums from the 1001 albums list as possible, with at least one of them hopefully being one of my 5/5s. I was able to find 7 total albums from the list. 2 of which were ones I'd already given a 5, those being Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and Charles Mingus's The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. I found 4 other albums in there that I'd generated but had given scores lower than a 5. None that I disliked, but not on the level of the 5s. But then there was Lady in Satin. The one album I'd gotten that I knew was one the list but had not yet generated. I've had a CD of this album in my house for a few months now and today was finally the day that I busted it out and listened to the album. As it turns out, the album's pretty good! It's a very interesting album for reasons beyond that personal story. Apparently this album's kind of tragic in a way. This was the last album released in Billie Holiday's lifetime that she'd recorded, and you can kind of tell that she's nearing the end of her life somehow. Her voice performance here is... not quite shot, but kind of raspy, I guess? I think it mostly fits the vibe though. These aren't the happiest songs she's singing. I'm not the biggest fan of how it sounds, but I can respect her for going on like she did. I've got to give props to Ray Ellis's orchestra for their performances as well. The album does sound a little samey, but it sounds nice so I don't care. I guess that's kind of the one semi-major complaint I could levy against this album. It's definitely a 50s release, that's for sure. One of the better 50s releases of the list, but still a 50s release. There really aren't a ton of huge stand-out tracks, but nothing bad here either. It's a very consistent record, which is respectable. Overall, Lady in Satin is an album that one could look at in many ways. One could focus on the music and just say that it's okay. One could think more about the album's story and call it a tragic masterpiece. I'm kind of in the middle. I think it's great, but not quite in that masterpiece territory. 4/5.

Billie Holiday commands your attention and is one of the most expressive singers ever recorded.

Great singer.

Nice music

Billie Holiday...I love him (IYKYK) But seriously she has a beautiful voice, her lyrics are deep and the emotion she evokes is just wonderful. My bigger issue is the orchestra that backs her up. It is beautiful and wonderful but I think it almost makes the songs too much, too much emotion that it almost seems like a joke. I wish she just had a small band behind her so her voice was the only star and she wasn't battling with the orchestra for the spotlight.

This album feels like comfort food. It makes the world immediately feel more cozy and intimate. There's this beautiful orchestra backing her that feels both gentle and grand, while her vocals softly command every moment. Very lovely listening experience.

I do love her.

I love her, I spent the whole album reading about her life on Wikipedia and crying, RIP Billie

Sounds like Christmas music, I dig it

Сначала мне было тяжело включиться в этот альбом. Но после того как я проникся голосом Билли я начал получать кайф от этих однообразных, размеренных песен. Прекрасный альбом

schöne Musik.

First of all, Billie Holiday is amazing and one of the greats. Obviously. But there better be other albums by her on this because this felt like an odd one to include. It’s great but I wouldn’t say it should be in over others.

Interesting album, vocals obviously technically compromised yet instead there is a World weary, fragile beauty to them. In that sense not unlike Doors LA Woman - it screams "I have lived" but with hindsight, a sad subtext that "I may not live much longer". Production a little sugary on the whole but edging a 4 given it's juncture.

Billie Holiday has a fantastic voice and this album is one of the best ways to experience it, truly amazing.

This is a long way from Billie’s best work, which for me is the incredible collection of recordings she mad at Decca. Here is Billie in her Dylan era, using all of her experience and genius to overcome a voice absolutely destroyed by drugs and alcohol, and let’s face it, an absolutely brutal life. It’s a tough listen and incredible all at the same time. You’ve Changed is truly incredible. Hard to recommend when she has so much better material, but for a fan, it’s indispensable

Great female vocalist. Great unique voice. Did songs that fit her voice perfectly.

I liked this a lot. Great arrangements, great voice. Trombone solo in the first track was amazing.

Ihanaa! Juuri sopivaa taustakuunteluun ja tunnelmointiin<3

Me: Hi, this is not what I paid for. My Travel Agent: Sorry, this is all I have on file for you.

4/5

Picture a trim late 50's-early 60's spinster looking out her midtown Manhattan apartment window at a dreary gray afternoon with a martini in hand. This is the musical distillation of that nostalgic reminiscing (complimentary)

Beautiful, sonorous

Can’t really go wrong with Billie. This pretty vanilla, but her interpretations are always top notch.

A very soulful and unique voice. I can see how it was very influential on future music, but it is not something I am going to throw on all the time. Still pretty decent.

Sweet old grandma music.

Lovely, perfect Monday morning commute album

Dope

Crooner jazz as only Billie Holiday could deliver it. Her gift as a singer is on display here, though her voice has lost some of its earlier beauty. However, that translates in practice to a melancholy delivery of these ballads that suits them incredibly well.

Reading these reviews… Some music needs to be listened with your heart and not with your brain.

edit: this was actually a lot better, and much sadder, than i thought it was going to be before going in. i was surprised by how much i liked it! very different from my typical, but very good and definitely a worthwhile listen.

I love listening to her. It isn't fair, some of these songs aren't wonderful, one or two I end up skipping out of, but I will always gravitate towards this album.

Super excited to see that I got this album yesterday. I had so much fun with the Elle Fitzgerald album, I couldn’t wait to listen to this….but I had to wait because football and sports betting took precedence. So after I lost all my money, I popped on Lady Day to help ease my wallet. Well, I was surprised to hear that Billie Holiday didn’t sound like a carbon copy of Ella Fitzgerald. Holiday has a very unique singing voice, at least on this album. She kind of reminded me of a female Louie Armtstong. She has a bit of a frog in her throat. It’s not bad, but it takes some time to get used to, I must admit. After consulting Wikipedia, at this point in her career, her voice had changed due to years of alcohol and drug abuse, and she didn’t quite have her upper register, at least according to critics. However, her voice still has this quality to it that can’t be explained. It’s like hearing Johnny Cash on those American Recordings albums he did in his last few years of life. The music is beautiful with a full orchestra backing Holiday. It’s so good. Nothing like an orchestra to bring out a female singer’s voice. The songs are these sweet, and sometimes mournful, jazz and pop songs. While her voice might not sound the same as it did 10-15 years earlier, it still works. I found myself falling more and more in love with Holiday as I listened to this album. I’m going to go back to hear what she sounded like in her early career. Holiday would be dead inside a year after recording these songs due to years of alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a shame that so many talented artists who make millions happy with their art are also some of the most tortured souls.

This is simply a beautiful and elegant album from a "simpler" time. Holiday has an iconic voice that pairs well with the soft loungy jazz instrumentals here. I'm a Fool to Want You is an obvious standout that everyone has heard before. You've Changed is another solid track. In between those two, I can't say anything critical about the music itself other than it makes me feel a little sleepy. Nonetheless, this is pretty music and falls somewhere in a 4 category for me.

A classic from a legend. Not much else to say. 8/10

Övertygen har röstats. Vokaljazzen har gillats. Fint å sånt, bror. En bror gillar när den violioliolej håller på gå in på typ den viva piñata bror, de e fett. Det var också återfärskande med ett album som inte var för långt för sitt eget bästa, fet plus på det.

This sounds like an album recorded by a heartbroken Disney princess. That maybe smoked. The tempos are smooth and slow, the lyrics are heartfelt and vulnerable. Her singing style is emotive and delicate. Perfect for finding love and losing it.

The performance is so rough, raw and mannered it’s not a great entry point for listening to Holiday. It’s an emotional performance like a sad farewell.

You hear a lifetime of musicianship, wonderful! Must have influenced the greats coming after her, like Aznavour. Also superb production. Diversity in song experience is quite poor though.

Beautiful beautiful voice. All the songs sound pretty similar and I got a bit tired of it but it's still a pleasant listen. Something quite Bondlike about a few of these. 4

Objectively 5, groundbreaking, not for me

Nice….

There will never be another Billie Holiday.

Not familiar with the orchestral-backed Billie Holliday vocals but she still rocked it. Not quite as much brass as I would’ve liked though

Simple, beautiful, to the point.

Christmas Jazz somehow very good

Magnificent voice and beautiful music.

Soothing

Classic late night vibe.

An album filled with yearning and desire. Accepting and rejecting those romantic emotions, the toss and turn of love.

It’s Billie. She is a legend. Nuf said.

Excellent

Thank you for not overpowering your mic, Miss Holiday! A hard feat for this age, but the success really sets this album a bar above. This album is engineered so well for the time. Those trumpet solos! Songs are too slow and I'm not a fan of her vibrato, which sounds a bit too much like choking to me xD I keep expecting Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire after each string intro. The ending of But Beautiful is great. Liked this a lot more by the end than I expected. 4*.

Billie is a legend with a voice of satin.

Billie Holiday! Such a beautiful, iconic voice. What a lovely album, I played it twice in a row this weekend.