Lady In Satin

Iconic. Billie Holiday had a style and voice like no one else. Her music always makes me a bit sad, knowing about her life and history but that's part of why her music is so powerful. I prefer other albums, but this one was good.

Favorite track(s): I'm a Fool to Want You, For Heaven's Sake, You Don't Know What Love Is, Violets for Your Furs Good music for any kind of grief. Bawled my eyes out to the first three songs. Thanks, Lady Day.

I get that Billie Holiday was an influential figure in American music, but I don’t think having this album on the list does justice to that legacy. There’s a lot of soul here, but very little energy. Each song is so sparse and light in arrangement that they just become uninteresting after some time. I think an incomplete description of her younger sound is a better tribute than an album that’s a pale shade of all she was.

2 stars plus one bonus because Billie Holiday probably should be heard at least once.

It’s just so slow. Very good and sad but too slow.

nice

This shit fucks

2 - TERRIBLE

No standouts

It's a Billie Holiday album. It's awesome. Maybe it's a bit too much of a good thing in spots? Could use additional variation but that's more emblematic of the time than anything. Lord knows most Ink Spots and Brook Benton albums of the era have the same issue. Still pretty great! Love the outtakes at the end.

Gooodd

Det är vackert, ledsamt, ikoniskt, och av en artist med ett extremt avtryck. Inte alls något som jag normalt sett skulle lyssna på dock. 2/5 enbart för att jag inte skulle kunna tänka mig att lyssna om, men albumet i dig och dess avtryck förtjänar såklart ett högre betyg egentligen.

Perfectly nice voice, but does get same-y after a while

A great voice that carried some standard light entertainment jazz, which was all that was required back in the day. Lots of songs where you take the title and come up with a bunch or rhymes that allow you to repeat it. Think there could be an amazing Billie holiday album but this wasn't it, enjoyed the sound but a full albums worth of songs was only decent. 3.5.

Quite surprised there's only one Billie Holiday album on this list. I really like her miserable stuff - Gloomy Sunday, God Bless The Child, Strange Fruit, etc.. This album is fine, I didn't care for the arrangement, and she doesn't sound so mellifluous.

I thought Billie Holiday was going to be someone like Barry Mannilow... Shows what I know. She has an interesting voice, but it's so dated and all very samey. Pretty long too. Sorry Billie, not for me

Very soothing instrumentals; lyrics seem very modern for a late 1950s album, which is cool

Fint og keisamt. Mistenker det er ei plate som treng fleire lytt. Nett i dag vart eg litt lei kvar gong strykearrangementet satt i gong, men stemma er fascinerande så eg held ut. Er nok ikkje min kopp te.

Dette er en sjanger jeg aldri har falt for, gitt. Jeg hører at det er mye sjel og personlighet i vokalen, men alt annet er så glatt og døllt at det går inn det ene øret og ut det andre uten at det setter spor av noe som helst. For meg er dette så intetsigende at det blir litt irriterende. Hadde denne fått lavere om ikke det var Limp Bizkit på menyen i går? Kanskje. 3/10

Billie Holiday - Lady in satin Då eg gjekk på musikklinja og vart eksponert for denne typar songar, great american / real book-materiale, pleidde eg å avsky dei. Seinare skjøna eg at det mest av alt var fordi ein vart eksponert for versjonar av folk som ikkje evna å tolka dei, enten det no var medelevar eller omreisande “proffe” riksmusikantar. For er det ein ting dette materialet skrik etter så er det stemmer som skjønar eit par ting om kva det vil sei å tolka og formidla essensen i det. Det skjønar Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker eller Bob Dylan for den del. Det står plater med desse i samlinga mi, der mange av songane frå denne plata dukkar opp. Og sjølsagt, dette skjøna Billie Holiday. Om det er noko ho balar med, særleg så seint i karriera/livet så er det nett dette, å vrenga essensen ut av materialet og tvinna sine eigne tynnsletne nervestrengar rundt det. Kontrasten mellom dei vakre orkesterarrangementa og den vaklande stemma er utruleg verknadsfull. Og når det gjeld den vaklande stemma blir det nesten for sårt til tider - måten ho kjempar seg fram mot enden av frasene på. Crooner-sesongen i stova her byrjar i desember. Eg legg meg på minnet at denne skal i hus før dess.

Vil en føle seg ung til sinns er det bare å høre på denne platen hvor en noeogførti år gammel Billie fomler seg gjennom vokallinjer fra gravens rand. Et dårlig utgangspunkt for å skjønne hvorfor hun er en av de unike vokalistene fra forrige århundre. Innspillinger femten-tjue år tidligere er å anbefale. Dette er mer av en nekrofil art.

Det er jo vakkert dette, men akkurat som Billie er sliten og lei, kan ein bli litt mett av den skjøre, på bristepunktet-vokalen som går igjen på alle låtane .

Ble med tre-fire låter før jeg måtte gi meg. Kan høre hvorfor folk liker det, men for meg så er dette dørgende kjedelig musikk og milevis unna det som pirrer mine øreganger så da kan det ikke stå til noe annet enn bunnkarakter. 🤷‍♂️

Vakker plate. En av forholdsvis få jeg har både på cd og på vinyl. Likevel hører jeg jo nesten aldri på den. Hvorfor det da? Nei, det må være fordi den også er litt ...kjedelig? Magisk stemme, men så er det noe med arrangentene son ikke fenger helt. Kanskje den plata som ligner minst på det Limp Bizkit driver med.

Billie Holiday - Lady In Satin Orkestreringa på denne plata er så nydeleg. På dei tidlegare song ho jo ofte mot meir nedstrippa komp. Det er noko med å høyre denne musikken på vinyl. Knitringa av støv i rillene mot bristinga i stemma til ei sliten Billie Holiday (trass sine berre 43 år) etter mange år med rusmisbruk. Av platene eg har høyrt av ho, er dette kanskje den vokalteknisk svakaste, men likevel er resultatet det beste. “Lady in Satin” er sår og vemodig (uunngåeleg ekstra sett i lys av at ho skulle døy året etter), og fangar ei skjør, vakker stemning som varar frå 1958 til evigheten. 9/10

I know its meant to be great, and a classic, but i struggled

Undeniably one of the greatest voices of all time. I also didn’t know anything about her life so I found it fascinating reading her Wikipedia and I think I’ll do some more reading or seek out a documentary or something. (4.5 stars)

Nice old vocal jazz album, Billie Holiday has better but this still has some nice instrumentation and great vocals ofc

OK - she didn't write any of the songs so it's really about her interpretation and singing. (of yes and also about the album as such but not a fan of the style - songwriting wise it's not bad though). Her singing annoys me. She's a one-trick pony with the same annoying fast vibrato on every note that lasts more than 0.5 s. Great if that's your thing, awful if you don't and have to sit out an album of the same. 2 stars because she found a particular and unique style. Good for romcoms.

Very solid vocal jazz

I for one, rejoice when I get a 50s jazz album. This made a wonderful backdrop to time spent reading the novelization of the movie Ghost Rider, starring Nic Cage. But seriously folks, Billie had beautiful, sultry vocals. Many of the songs do blend together, I can’t disagree on that.

This is good but not for me

not my fav, but nice chill old vibes W

What a voice, truly one of the greatest female vocalists to ever live. But to be honest, beyond that there isn't really much else that impressed me. For starters, music that's this old almost always shows it's age, no matter how timeless it may seem. I know it's harsh to judge an album from the 50s by today's standards, but I wasn't alive in the 50s so I don't really have any other way of judging it. It very much feels like something that was not meant to be listened to in headphones while I sat at my laptop and played the New York Times daily games, which is exactly how I listened to it. Even as someone born in 2003, there's still so much music from the 90s, 80s, 70s, 60s, and even a small amount from the 50s that I absolutely love. But the further back you go, the music not only gets less relatable for me, but it's also less likely to have aged well. And while I can definitely appreciate this album for how it would have sounded at the time, listening to it in 2026 is on the whole a pretty underwhelming experience, as the way in which it was meant to be heard just isn't really how music is listened to anymore.

This feels like music that is absolutely glued to a certain mood, or a vibe or situation or something. Listening to it in isolation honestly doesn't do much for me, but hearing it alongside a great movie scene, or even a live show, would probably feel pretty incredible.

I sure have a soft spot for songs that sound like out of any of the Fallout games. Her voice is very unique and the songs are magical, yet the album sounds like it just has the same song all over again, no versatility.

Get me a drink, a cigarette and a cosy armchair by the fireplace. I take this for what it is, and that's a great listen in a very specific setting. I felt the emotion, but now, I must move on to music I actually like. I feel terrible, but because it's basically the same song over and over, it gets a 2 instead of a 3.

I don't like writing reviews that talk about other people on this site but this time I can't help myself. This currently sits below Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle. An album that I can best describe as extremely misogynistic. This Billie Holiday record has multiple reviews call this album boring or slow, effectively saying it's something they couldn't engage with. I want to preface that people are allowed their opinion and preferring one album over the other does make you a bad person (maybe a little lol) but it does show a pattern in reviews on this site that I wanted to complain about. I feel like a lot of users on this site find it difficult to sit with music and actually listen to it. This is a beautiful album about heartache and pain that if you take the time to listen will give you a lot back. Lovely composition and Billie's voice is of course beautiful. I find it upsetting a woman making music with such beauty is quickly tagged as dull while a man singing about his sexist exploits is given more of a pass. I know that gap in reviews between these two is small and there reviews on both albums that go against what I'm saying, but it's a pattern I keep seeing that album by men which sound exciting and bombastic but maybe have questionable views are celebrated so quickly while something a bit slower and more thoughtful is so quickly thrown away, and unfortunately it seems doubly so if its made by a woman or person of colour. It makes me sad that Billie Holidays was one of them that certain people have dubbed as boring. It was a tiny bit repetitive tho.

This was a big surprise for me. What an emotive voice singing some great songs

Me dio un poquito de sueño, pero es que no me gusta tanto Billie Holiday

I'm not a big fan of Billie Holiday's voice. I love her version of Strange Fruit, which came out long before this album. I didn't know any songs on this album. The songs were pretty, but I just don't love her voice.

although the voice is gorgeous and the music is overall soothing, the theme quickly bores me and halfway through i just want to stop it.

Sounds like most of the Jazz Record of that time period, but with it's own uniqueness. It sounds like every other jazz record and no other jazz record at the same time. Wonderful!

Extremely boring album. I do like this genre but none of these songs stuck out and they all blended together. This would be good background music in a smoky bar/club but it's hard to listen for over an hour as a regular album

Really lovely singing that I've glaringly overlooked because I usually don't explore vocal jazz. It was fun to be able to sing along to the songs Sinatra also sang on In the Wee Small Hours.

Beautiful across the board

I wanted to like it but just couldn't get into it. Maybe partly her gravely vocals.

Despite making me want to go to a lounge to drink whiskey at 2am, this album doesn't go anywhere itself. It's not bad, but it becomes background music relatively quickly. Billie Holiday's voice is hauntingly gorgeous Favorite Song: I'm a Fool To Want You, The End of A Love Affair

You can't go wrong with Billie Holiday. She's one of the defining voices in American music history, as well as the jazz genre.

I have no idea how to rate this. I don’t care for this vocal genre. The instrumental genre though? Love it. The strings in the background are heavenly. Billie Holiday is a five star artist but maybe not on this album; it’s painful to hear the damage she’s done to her voice and she’s certainly missing notes. Then again, that same vocal quality is fascinating partly because of how rough she sounds here. You can still hear her talent and that damage is a like an aural biography. In the context of an artist near the end of their career and life, both too short, it’s a masterpiece. But also I’d find more personal enjoyment if this were just the backing band playing instrumental jazz and the entire album sounds the same through its 45 minute run time. It’s a one. It’s a two. It’s a five. There are compelling arguments for all five numbers on this scale and I think all of them are wrong because rating this album on a single numeric score is wrong. That’s true of all albums really, this entire list is an exercise in futility and the true merit is in individual personal growth from committing to the exercise and exposing themselves to new experiences, but it’s hard to pretend otherwise here. I’m giving it the conflicted three and having a pleasant little existential crisis about it

What am I missing here? I don't think her singing voice is all that great. It sounds she has spent her whole life singing in smokey jazz halls. I found Nina Simone's voice to be off putting yet I could hear her control. Is it because Holiday is hot? I don't get it. It was just dull as dishwasher.

She's got such an iconic voice. They don't make em like this anymore.

Lady In Satin Billie Holiday 1958 Genres: Jazz 1. I'm a Fool to Want You (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Dependencia amorosa dolorosa; sabe que la relación le hace daño pero no puede dejar de desear a esa persona. 2. For Heaven's Sake (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Súplica para que el otro deje de jugar con sus sentimientos y tome el vínculo en serio. 3. You Don't Know What Love Is (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: El amor verdadero solo se comprende a través del sufrimiento y la pérdida. 4. I Get Along Without You Very Well (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Finge estar bien tras la separación, aunque los recuerdos revelan que sigue afectada. 5. For All We Know (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Reflexión sobre lo breve e incierto de los encuentros humanos; amar intensamente porque quizá no haya mañana. 6. Violets for Your Furs (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Recuerdo elegante y nostálgico de una pareja y un momento feliz compartido. 7. You've Changed (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Tristeza al descubrir que la persona amada ya no es la misma. 8. It's Easy to Remember (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Todo despierta recuerdos del amor perdido; olvidar resulta imposible. 9. But Beautiful (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: El amor puede ser irracional y doloroso, pero sigue siendo hermoso. 10. Glad to Be Unhappy (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Prefiere sufrir por amor antes que vivir emocionalmente vacía. 11. I'll Be Around (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Promesa de seguir presente afectivamente incluso después del final de la relación. 12. The End of a Love Affair (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Aceptación triste del fin de un amor y de los recuerdos que permanecerán para siempre. -TOTAL = ★★★☆☆ (3) -Debería ser un 3, pero es un 2 porque la verdad no lo disfruté y me resultó bastante plano, calmo, sin sustancia, ni siquiera drama, romance o lo que sea, era sonido ambiental para los años 50's.

Billie's voice is rich, endlessly creative and soothing. The continuous strings is too much. 3/5

Billie's life was one of excess, and it shows in this album, released only a year before her death. She was considered the greatest singer of her times, but here you can hear the damage of her smoking, drinking and drug abuse. It's a shame, because the music is still beautiful, and there's real deep emotion in her songs, and one can only imagine how much more powerful she could have been without her declining health. She's still considered one of the greatest singers of all times for a reason, she really has a way to soothe your soul, even if she doesn't come close to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald or Doris Day. The songs are all kind of samey though. A perfect album to put as background music for a dinner, or even while studying but is it something I would listen to just for the sake of it? No.

Billie Holiday has such a beautiful soulful voice, but I have to be honest, I am not the biggest fan of this era of music. There are just very few songs of this era that I actually would listen to. I find it hard to just sit and absorb this, as I feel I should be, because I truly do think this is good music - it's just not for me! Maybe when I'm an old lady... but to be honest, I think I'll still be listening to the likes of Noah Kahan and Frank Ocean when I'm 100.

Beautiful but not quite my thing.

Very pretty, very complex arrangements. Like a convoluted picture. Or like a Magic Eye!

A pretty interesting look into the untimely twilight years of a legend. Years of health issues and drug abuse have made her voice sound a little more rough and aged than maybe it should have. Musically, this is pretty good. This isn’t a 4 for me, but I enjoyed it.

Old timey jazz singing. Not bad, made me think of Fallout, which gets it points in my book. 3*

Another album that showcases the artist's and bands amazing talents. But it just wasn't for me. Really, it's great, but it's something I can appreciate once, and that's enough. Even once felt like a chore with an hour runtime

Gillar verkligen Billie Holiday, men det här albumet föll mig inte riktigt lika mycket i smaken som hon brukar göra. Det blir en fyra ändå men jag jag hade hoppats på en starkare fyra eller femma.

Vackert men lite segt kanske

Starkt att det här är det sista hon gör! Man kan inte värja sig mot rösten, sån jävla feeling. Vackert

Ah de e nice, å de e fint och det finns inte en tempohöjning i sikte

Much like Frank Sinatra, I have an appreciation for the vocals and the string arrangements with this easy listening music. But outside of a dinner party or a day where the mood fits this type of music, I don’t give it much thought. It seems very safe and hard to distinguish from the other music of the time outside of the vocalist being the unique feature. I think my brain has been programmed too to want more drums, some guitar, a synthesizer, etc. But idk. In summary, vocals were great but the music was boring.

Essential.

As far as Jazz goes this is about my limit, it’s pretty, timeless. Doesn’t exactly get me going but it’s the sort of thing you can have on in the background. Favourite song: I’m a fool to want you

It’s a mood and beautiful but not a repeat listen

All I can think of is the Fallout games and I'm not complaining about that!

I get it, it's just not my thing to listen to on the reg

No tengo mucho para opinar porque el vocal jazz me aburre zarpadamente. Y tampoco quiero matar al género porque sí. 3/10 y a otra cosa

her voice pulls on my heart strings man

Heard before?:✔️ Will listen again?:✔️

not bad, just not for me

Her voice is always mesmerizing

her voice is unreal, good one Billie. b for betting on spain to win the world cup

Romantic, but surprisingly haunting.

Yay!

Unbelievably not for me. The only thing keeping me from giving it a 1 is that it's a sort of 50s time capsule, which almost makes it an interesting listen.

no complaints. makes me wanna play fallout. favorite song is Glad to Be Unhappy. very soft 3

Rating: 5/10 More 50's vocal jazz that simply isn't my thing. Her vocals and the pleasant background orchestration make the collection of songs fine to listen to but doesn't particularly move me. Sorry.

Pleasant but old fashioned and not spicy enough for me. Flowy and beautiful but I'm also good with just a single listen 5.5/10

Very emotionally engaging, she performs these (often rather sad) standards believably. Despite not being well health-wise at this point in her life, she still managed to sound great as ever

gänsehaut pur

I don't think we're getting Billie Holiday at her best here - it's like a year before her death and her voice isn't so powerful. Or maybe she just sounded better with worse recording technology she like spiked the mic a lot in the past. The orchestra is going absolutely crazy at a few points though and I like the Rogers + Hart songs.

Sounds like good material for other people to cover but the songs are just a bit too bland

shrugs

Eh. It's good and I like this type of music, but so much of it sounded the same. There were no songs that stood out. I'm not sure if I'd ever listen to it again even though I enjoyed it enough. I can't stomach giving it 2 stars, though.

#1002. I think this is music best listened to while drinking alone in the dark. A cocktail in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and no one around to interrupt. 4/5: shhh

I was disappointed with this one. I was expecting more based on reputation alone. The songs all blended together and felt repetitive and pretty boring. Just not my thing.

A smooth jazz album with a full orchestra sound behind it. Billie Holiday’s voice sounds troubled in this collection and apparently she had some vocal trauma late in her career that changed her well-renowned sound. Despite that, you can still hear the talent in her approach to every song. A pleasant change to the usual suspects and I enjoyed today’s selection.

Music your grandparents made whoopie to. Not a lot of variety in this collection of dirges.

Beautiful voice, but god this is dull and boring

3.5/5

No doubt she is legendary but just not something I appreciate enough. Sounds like one long, boring song.

Plays like an old timey soundtrack. Billie Holiday has a wonderful voice with a touch of smokiness to it. I can appreciate that this will draw listens, it doesn’t fall into my wheelhouse musically but I respect Holiday for nailing what she was doing. 3 stars

Musically? Yes. Her voice? No. How you can listen to a smooth voice like Nat King Cole and then throw accolades at this. No.....just, no.

I've heard some of Lady Day's 40s hits before, and I find them marvelous, but this late-career release is almost sad to listen to. Her voice is shot, she's a year from death and all of this looms over the project like some depressing miasma. Without that context, this album is just alright.

süsse sanfte musik, geeignet als klangteppich. aber irgendwie doch repetitiv.

Wunderbares Album

Billie Holiday's voice brought to you by Kent. Kent. America's favorite, filtered, and unfiltered cigarette.

Billie Holiday has an amazing voice and could sing anything and make it sound great. Album sound was of an era

Just can’t get excited (or even interested) in this

Sounded like an early Disney film soundtrack. Limited appeal.

Never gonna be my vibe. Next….

Super

Billie’s voice is excellent but, despite her range, this was very much a one note album. Every song sounded the same, so I can’t give it any more than an average rating.

Fantastic album. Her voice was just amazing. The different elements to this was outstanding. Not my usual pick of music, but this was stunning.

I was looking forward to this expecting daring lyrics in the vein of "Strange fruit". Instead every single song deals with love and heartbreak, as if the music world didn't have more than enough of that already. The uniform orchestra production does nothing to make it more interesting and her singing is strangely affected.

Not normally kind of thing, but it's so evocative and you definitely feel like you've been on a bit of a journey by the time the album finishes, which is quite impressive because all of the songs are pretty samey. After the first 3 tracks I was ready to write it off as just disney princess/bond music but there's something really captivating about her voice and the string and backing vocal arrangements are gorgeous. I don't normally like 'romantic' music, but I just wanted to listen to this having a very fancy dinner in an old hotel with my wife, and then maybe going dancing afterwards

Some of the songs made me thing James Bond themes, but overall a lot of the same. Nice voice, but not really for me. I'll say 2.5, round up.

Not super into it but it reminded me of my granny

She's very good!

Billie is truly one of the ultimate cabaret singers, and listening to this record instantly makes you think of sitting in a dark, smoke-filled lounge while sipping on an old fashioned or a martini. Her music also carries a huge wave of nostalgia, immediately bringing to mind the Fallout games since so many of her iconic songs are featured on the soundtracks. However, it's hard to give this project much more than a 3 out of 5 because the overall production and style just sound incredibly dated. Her voice here is visibly weathered and worn down compared to her prime, which gives the performances a raw more emotional weight. Really sad when you think she's only in her early 40s here. This captures the downslope of a legendary career, making it an important piece of musical history, but it's just too dated sounding to make me want to listen again.

From the very first song, I already knew that I liked this. I don't really "know" anything about this kind of music, but I really enjoyed this album. I like her "fragile" voice, even if I understand some people say her voice is not as good as when she was younger. Well, I don't know about that but, as far as I'm concerned, her voice is really good in this album. This is in the range of 3,5 stars for me. The orchestral arrangements are very good. It sounds really cohesive, so I don't have real favourites. Among others, I enjoyed: "I'm a Fool to Want You", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "You've Changed", or "Glad To Be Unhappy".

Nice but very one-dimensional.

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

Reading about Billie Holiday’s life while listening to this made me deeply upset on a workday morning. Albums quite good though.

No es mi estilo de música. Suena muy lindo

Fantastic jazz club music and vocals

This is nice, but not really my jam.

This album brought me back to a simpler time of wandering through the apocalyptic wasteland, looting and killing bands of mutants.

As much as I love that undeniable sound of Billie Holiday's voice, she sounds tired here. In fact, her orchestra is so good they practically upstage her in my opinion. They are tight. She sounds like she's struggling through a long track list of mostly throw-away slow-tempo songs. This album never seems to get out of first gear. But I'll listen to just-okay Billie Holiday over a lot of music any day.

My fave parts of Billie Holiday's catalogue pre -date the album era, so I don't particularly like many of her long form albums. Billie Holiday compilation albums forever this album for never.

Couldn't find any I liked

Just beautiful

2.08

She’s a legend. This gets too dark for me though

Love Billie Holiday, this was so smooth Playlist add: "You Don't Know What Love Is"

I struggled with Lady in Satin for one big reason. Musically it's a beautiful record, providing a rich and immersive soundscape. Unfortunately, I do not care for Billie Holiday's voice on thisrecording. It's haggard, craggy, and absolutely worn down from years and years of alcohol and heroin abuse. It would ultimately be her last album before she died at age 44, which is probably the reason for inclusion. I know it's a matter of taste, but I'd rather hear anyone else from 1958 sing these songs.

Solid Billie Holiday but not much of the stuff that really makes me appreciate her. Mostly just great tunes to have on in the background

Overall, kind of a sad album. Has me wondering who did this to Billie Holiday! She has a good voice. Not really my jam. Super down tempo. 2.0/5.0 sorry Billie!

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

Late-career album using production tricks to cover fading skill.

This really wasn't my jam. The songs felt repetitive and the vocal delivery of miss Billie Holiday was incredibly dull after a certain point. The depth of her voice in undeniable but unfortunately I don't think it shines really well throughout the record. The beginning was nice but then it became the ultimate chore to get through. The instrumentals didn't go anywhere either. As a whole it felt like one song was playing over and over again. I read more about the tragic story of Billie Holiday and I couldn't help but wonder whether this album was a cry for help from a soul long gone. There is something eerie about her performance. The best song is "I'm a Fool to Want You".

Non c'était chiant.

Old, crinkly voice. Noir movies

This is the kinda jazz i don’t really like

I generally prefer my jazz instrumental, but Billie is undeniably talented.

I understand Holiday’s importance to music as an art form. I have nothing but the highest respect for this artist. I just don’t like her voice.

Yeah, vote 5 so you still have to listen to the same shit every day.

Album 223. Lady In Satin (https://open.spotify.com/album/5myXQ7U373A3DMPtuaojcm?si=dyw0YWLRQRKvSSMQ3yov0g) — Billie Holiday (1958) I know Billie Holiday well only by one song — I'll Be Seeing You (https://open.spotify.com/track/4smkJW6uzoHxGReZqqwHS5?si=c1aa79b5e4cb477b) that is not on this album. I read about this album a little and it has parallels with Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around (https://t.me/falton1001/593). It's the end of her career, a different sound, others' material. It's a mistake to listen to it in the daytime. It could be perfect after midnight. Starry sky, whisky, vinyl record and endless gazing out the window — exactly that vibe. It's good, but quite repetitive 3/5 Liked: — I'm a Fool to Want You

great voice

1950s jazz. The album feels very one-note because all of the songs are slow and about the same topic (relationships). You can hear the years of smoking and drug and alcohol abuse in her distinctive raspy voice, and it made the album kind of depressing to listen to.

Beautiful but not my favorite music

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

Nice to listen to but not for me.

I'm sure it's good music but rlly couldn't listen to it, every song felt the same and rlly bored me

Great voice and nice atmosphere

lovely album

- Billie's voice is interesting with a cool texture, here, but it doesn't have much range, and it makes it hard to find interesting variation in these songs. - I find the music on the dull side... not totally unpleasant, but dated in that 50s/60s way. I guess that's to be expected since it's all covers. Why an album of covers (of super unmemorable songs) when she has her own music? - Felt like the same song over and over, and the lyrics aren't hers (and are boring), so I just don't really care. More of your typical 50s/60s love songs. To me, the album felt like it went on forever. - Unfortunately, it also felt like a waste of an orchestra.

Good but most songs sounded very similar in tone and voice

I almost want to dock a star for most of this sounding all the same, however, the level of class and craftsmanship presented is top tier.

Classic vocal jazz. Very pleasant.

Idk, balsas nesužavėjo, bet melodijos ir tekstas gražūs.

Seems like this was included to shore up the obvious paucity of female artists so far, but Billie had plenty of records of varying types before this, which is not representative of her voice. Dunno. Show tunes eh?

I am not a huge fan of Billie Holiday, but I do like a lot of her music. That said, this album felt a little deflated. I'm not sure if she was nearing the end of her career in this album or what (I didn't do any research), but her voice sounds a little tired and "flabby" (for want of a better word). There were times when he vibrato sounded so slow and chunky that it was almost like she was grunting at the end of the last wiggle, and he timbre was kind of dry and scratchy sounding. Beyond my criticism of the vocal quality, I thought a lot of the songs sounded the same -- to the point that I had to keep checking to make sure that I wasn't hearing a track for the second time by accident. I instrumentation arranging and performances were spot on and the writing was great, ignoring the similarity that I mentioned above. Overall, not bad, but I didn't love it. Three stars.

Meget smukt album! Jeg har læst mig til at Billie Holiday døde året efter dette album blev lavet efter mange år med stofmisbrug og tragedier. Hendes stemme er på dette tidspunkt ikke hvad den har været, og det kan tydeligt høres på albummet. Dette er dog ikke nødvendigvis dårligt, da det giver en hjerteskærende effekt og er meget råt. Albummet er godt til en stille aften eller til at have i bagggrunden mens man læser. Desværre lider albummet under dets længde og ensartethed.

I'm not sure that I've ever heard Billie Holiday outside of a Chapters bookstore. Which makes sense, this is some of the best reading music I've ever heard.

It do sound like one long song here. I guess it's a good one at least Will I listen to again: 5%

Hit me right while cooking dinner

great voice, historical importance, blah blah blah - sure...respect, but i've no desire to listen to this.

Beautifully performed and produced music behind one of the most distinctive of voices. Impossible not to admire but I won’t often search it out.

I found this kind of boring and it didn't stick with me

This is a bit of a sad one really, knowing that Billie Holiday was pretty close to dying from her various addictions. Her voice isn't gone but it is missing a lot of the range and clarity from what made her famous. It is unmistakably her though; her cadence is unique and she still has all of the vibrato and sustain that she had before. The songs are all out of what we call "the great american songbook" which is a mountain of jazz standards and songs mostly written for no particular performers. I guess it was pretty common to perform these as an artist during the time. In any case, they're largely uninspiring and rely entirely on the performance of the artist. In this case they are all carried well by her, but I wouldn't say that they were the peak of any of them. I enjoyed this is a historical thing but I couldn't put it out of my head that these were the last studio utterances of a woman who was falling apart. i wish we had gotten something out of her earlier years.

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.

I haven’t listened to Billie Holiday or all that much vocal jazz before this. It was an interesting listen and she is clearly a great singer with a fairly distinctive voice. It’s just not really something I ever really want to listen to. On top of that, every song on this album sounded the exact same; same composition, same instruments, same tempo, same singing, same lyrical content. It just got a bit boring by the end.

I don't believe this is her best album. She sounds old and tired from hard living and the songs are a bit monotonous.

An incredible voice and, in isolation, these are probably great songs, but together it is very monotonous and lacked the variety needed to make it work as an album.

Fantastically sung, and a hugely distinctive voice doesn’t hide the fact that these songs are so similar in their arrangement and orchestration that there is a great deal of repetition here. I like the heartaching lyrics in many of the songs such that, rather than just extolling the virtues of love, it talks about the pain of losing it too, just too samey from one song to the next to warrant this being an album to come back to any time soon.

318/1001 Billie Holiday - Lady In Satin It's not my usual thing and you know what, I didn't mind it. Yes, it could be a bit samey, but overall enjoyed the vibe.

decent

I enjoyed listening to this album, but it definitely isn’t something I’d ever revisit.

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.

Ok. Unique voice but songs are all very similar, musically and lyrically.

Great singer and an album I'm sure is historically relevant. A little too slow for me and kind of sounded the same throughout. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Not my thing

I love Lady Day but have never liked this album. Her voice is gone, the orchestral swell attempts to cover and carry it all forward. The album on the whole feels like death tourism.

too many slow songs, but lots of classics on here

I know she has an iconic voice and the music is beautiful, but just not my thing.

85

Respect to Billie but this was pretty samey

She is a legend but this was long

Does this album belong here? Definitely yes, IF it would be a list of 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. BUT the list mostly contains nonrelevant albums which you definitely do not need to hear before you die. I am happy it is on the list.

Beautifully written and performed tunes. Happiness and pain.

Not my cup of tea

Oldie, not Goldie

Tolle Stimme, als Album mir aber zu monoton.

billie holiday singt soooo schön. aber ich find s isch ei schnulze noch de andere. schwierig zum öpis anders als rd 3 geh leider.

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 get it, but it's not for me. It's not something I would pick up and listen to often. It definitely fits a very specific vibe, but it's not mine.

Pretty good and I understand why it's on here but I don't care much for the style of singing where you make everything work through cadence. Sort of talk singing like Bob Dylan. The music is nice but nothing amazing. I know she is a legend and trying to tell a story but it's not something I would listen to again.

Surely this is a great album and Billie Holiday is a great singer, but I have to issues with this album: 1) Her style can be tiring over time. Other jazz singers had more variety. 2) This album sounds very often very similar to "In the wee small hours" by Frank Sinatra which was released only three years prior and in my opinion the better album. Hell, even Holiday even sings the same songs! All and all a good, but not great album.

Despite her voice being ravaged by time, Lady Day still had “it” in her golden years. The big orchestra behind her helped make a difference. 5 stars

Whilst it was cool to get a little bit of history listening to Holiday’s haunting, broken voice, it really wasn’t that captivating a listen

Very little variety

Its not something I would want to listen to often. But I appreciate the times when singers adjust their music to their voice as it is at the time of recording (read: with age! experience!) and treat it as an instrument. Everything else "tunes" with it. It's a better album for it. 3/5

Jazz standards as sung by a cartoon spooky witch in a Halloween movie

Hiya Billie love. This album was a lovely time tbh, nice jazz songs. I prefer my jazz standards with some nice piano usually, but this is good too x

One of my favorite artists of all time. Even here where you can hear the voice breaking down a bit, still so soulful. Love. 5/5

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

I like it, but the voice isnt the best I think. too changey2

That voice. Pure quality. Classy. All the obvious notes. Is anyone still reading? OK. Honestly I got a bit bored and turned it off. But it's still all of those things.

very one-note, but god what a voice. wouldn't listen to this one again but would listen to her all day

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.

not bad, very mid-century classic, very slow-dance, very melancholy or sad. don't mind it, but never going to be on repeat.

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

Quite relaxing to listen to, songs not noteworthy at all, and every single one of them sound the same

Fine to listen to.

amazing

#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.

Good

Interesting, lovely voice, but I got bored with it. All the songs sounded the same. Sorry, Billie.

i don’t really like Billie and strings. this is hands down not a very good record for me. _lady sings the blues_ and _stay with me_, which came out the year before “satin”, are far superior albums.

The songs are nice, but I just don't enjoy her style of singing. She sounds 30 years older than she was. Doesn't work for me.

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

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/billie-holiday-and-ray-ellis-and-his-orchestra/lady-in-satin/ Holiday is obviously a voice to be reckoned with, even on this album where many claim her voice has deteriorated too much to properly enjoy. The album itself is just not very interesting, with every song sounding pretty similar due to mainly the instrumentation. Suppose there are more of het albums on this list, so interested to hear those from earlier in her career.

Thoughts before listening: I admittedly don't know much of Billie Holiday's work. I know she's considered one of the great jazz vocalists of all time, and I believe she is known for her husky, smoky voice. I think of a sultry singer in a dark nightclub when I think of her, and that is what I'm expecting here. Slow, dark ballads is my guess. Review: So this is maybe a bit more orchestral than I was thinking, but I basically nailed the sound. The surprise for me is that this is less sultry comeons and more regretful end of a relationship songs. Billie as well sounds weathered and worn down like she's holding on past her prime much like the relationships she's describing in her songs. This is definitely a vibe although it's not necessarily one I'm typically drawn to. I'll give this 3-stars because I can hear the immense although fading talent here, but it's just not necessarily my cup of tea.

This is a bit repetitive to be sure but three stars alone for the fallout vibes.

Look I know Billie Holiday is a classic and a legend, but I’m judging on my listening experience. This was fine. There is a place for this. But it’s not a fave. I find the slowness at times awkward for me. The songs and their lyrics are beautiful but would I come back and listen? Meh.

This made me so annoyed i was bitchy to my boyfriend

This was a hard listen for me. The juxtaposition between her slightly struggling voice and the dense orchestration just didn't work for me. It made me kind of sad, because I know how amazing her music can be. I read the Wikipedia entry for this one, and it sounds like she wanted all that orchestration. I'm glad she was happy with it in the short time she had left.

Sometimes, the order by which the albums are generated makes a huge difference. I know I would have given this a great score no matter what, but coming directly after some god-awful Red Hot Chili Peppers, which I got yesterday, Lady in Satin is like a heavenly utopian oasis. What a soothing balm…. Ooh and today I’m working from home, gray rainy skies outside, hot coffee in hand, perfect complements to this dreamy, gorgeous music. Thank you Billie Holiday. Must-listen #340.

Absolutely heartbreaking. Her voice was always described as "distinctive" and was a smoky, throaty sound without the sheer beauty of Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan, but with a virtuosic improvisational skill and control. By this stage, at the very end of her too short life, the absolute control of her voice was still there, but years of chain smoking, alcohol and heroin had stolen much of her upper register and power. To anyone used to the recordings she made in the 1940s , the first few notes of her singing here will be a shock. She sounds hoarse and gravelly, even while the grace notes and improvisational flourishes are still there. Of course, she's past her prime and the voice is a kind of a ruin. But this is, quite literally, the sound of someone dying. A year later she was diagnosed with cirrhosis and six months after that she was dead at 44. On her very last album she had a nurse with her to prop her so she didn't fall from the recording stool. It's almost impossible to give this a star rating. Is it a great, or even good, recording? Is it even an enjoyable experience? Probably not. But I don't think you can rate this in that way. The sheer emotion of hearing a great artist, at the end of her life, having suffered abuse and racism for all of it, still giving all she has, makes this overwhelming. 5 stars for the Lady still singing.

Incredibly pretty and touching. Got goosebumps at the first note. Also a bit too sleepy for my taste. Favorite song: Glad to be Unhappy

I understand why she is legendary. It sounds really unique and sincere. But ultimatetly it has the same problem a lot of old 50s albums have. It all starts to sound the same

It's alright

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

Vocal jazz.

A classic, I know. But tbh, you know one song you know them all.

4.5

Heartbreak and loniness sung impeccably

Macy Gray does 12 subtly different takes of the theme song for a Disney Animation Studios James Bond film.

She's got a captivating, unique voice which I like very much. Unfortunately, the only time you'd find me listening to this album would be for sof background music when I had a group of folks over for dinner. I'm not benefiting much from intentional listening here ⭐⭐.501

super sweet an soft - definitely a warm Christmas album.

No. Just no. Boring, samey songs and a voice like nails down a blackboard.

When you know something is brilliant/amazing but you just dont like it Voice amazing But this style of music does nothing for me at all

Although it felt important and significant as a milestone ending to a glittering career, the album didn't engage me with enough variety or memorable lyrics and hooks. I enjoyed it, it was pleasant but not wowed.

A beautiful,bygone and ravaged voice. The orchestra is a bit syrupy at its worst, smoky and atmospheric at best.

A little slow, but great for background.

I enjoyed the first 5 or 6 songs, but then I got bored, it's a bit repetitive. Maybe slowjazz fans will love this album, it sounds great, it makes you feel nostalgic for a time when you weren't born yet xd it's hard to explain. Anyway, I think it's a 3 out of 5, not bad at all, but not for me.

Pretty, but girl needs to figure out how to write something besides love songs.

What is could stand to listen to was obviously made by talented people and with a renowned and unique vocalist. But its not for me. Maybe in the correct setting, with a martini and a oack of smokes.

Pffff... Premiers sons c’est sympa, ça change. Mais bon après c’est vite chiant. 40 minutes quoi, c’est long. C’est les mêmes rythmes, les mêmes thèmes, lui lui lui lui… Édit: oh je suis triste gnagnagna… pffff

Was in at track 1. Never quite reached those heights for the rest of it though but I of this era, this is up there for me.

too slow

3.5 stars

This would be the perfect album for me if I were standing by a gaslight lamppost late at night, smoking a cigarette in the rain.

Hermoso disco, me encanto haberlo descubierto. Realmlente fascinante su voz, a orquesta, los vientos y vioilines. Me senti en una pelicula de romance que ocurria en otra epoca. Me trajo a peliculas de disney, calles nubladas con fresco. Muy romantico y agradable al oido. Lo repetiria mil veces en distintas ocasiones y escenarios. Son 5 las stars

I love this album but it's also a sad on. If you know the story about this one, you know the shape she was in when she recorded it. She will always have a special place in my heart.

My mom loves Billie Holiday and I’ve never really just sat with one of her albums and I really enjoyed this. So emotive, so sad. Idk that I will return to it often but I was moved

Pleasant af!

awesome album cover, and really nice music. this is the type of stuff everyone is still trying to replicate and they just can't

This album walks in and everyone is floored. The damn music has sex appeal. I was astonished.

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

Her voice is completely shot here, to be blunt, but that gives it a certain emotional resonance.

A great album for certain occasions, but not something I would listen to every day. It’s also a bit too repetitive

C’mon Who would have a problem with this?

Someone's great grandma probably got RAILED to this album

Overall this was a decent jazz singing album.

so bloody 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

Clearly an influence on Lana Del Rey. It was a little samey and boring for me, but there were some pretty songs.

Vocal jazz is not really my jam. Especially with the classics, 99% of the time they are singing about love and the jazz elements are simple and seek to support the vocalist. Also, I have never liked the vocal quirk that saturates Billie Holiday's songs. I did like the backing music quite a bit and it mostly sat in the background. 3/5

I don't really know how to rate this. I know I say this a lot, but it seems that a lot of the 50s and earlier albums on this list bring it out of me. To my Millennial trained brain, this is so old that I'm like imagining the world in shades of sepia tones while listening to it. That being said, it has some pretty hard emotional bombs. Sometimes we can feel like we're the only ones experiencing longing or love or pining or heartbreak. But this album is proof that that's actually the default condition of humanity. I also didn't enjoy listening to it so 3 stars I guess.

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

Incredibly tender vocal performance and heavenly string arrangements. I feel like Ennio Morricone was taking notes on the choral parts. Only downside is all the songs are basically variations on the same idea so I got a little bored towards the end. 3.5

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.

Super BLUE. You can hear her troubled life in each note. Genre defining artist!

Talk about a relaxing toe tapper. This album was a wonderful listen as I sat and worked today. I think I will always have a soft spot for older music with its laid-back nature and underproduction.

2.5 - good but got boring

I'm just lukewarm on this album, it's a 3 for sure, but there's some kind of grittiness about her voice that I just didn't like over the album. It's a classic for sure and a solid backing orchestra from what it sounds like, but I'm going with a 3 here.

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

top tracks : I Get Along Without You Very Well Violets For Your Furs You've Changed The End Of A Love Affair Recently been getting into jazz- Nice Album

Talented singer. Chill album.

Beautiful voice but won’t be returning to this. Hasn’t aged that well.

After the first song I thought it was gonna be the best jazz album ever. Then I heard the first song for another hour

Not bad for old orchestral. Holiday's voice is great. 3/5

Vackert!

Bra och ikonisk röst, men bedrövligt tråkiga låtar, tyvärr.

Uppenbarligen väldigt begåvad sångerska, och mysig känsla men inte så mycket mer än så tyvärr

5/5

Trevligt men inte så spännande.

Nice, laid-back music, but a whole album of it is just a bit too much for me...

Easy listen but nothing standouts to come back to regularly

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

I’m at a 4.5 that I'll bump up to a 5. It did take me a bit to get into this though; my problem early on was focusing on this a bit too musically as opposed to simply feeling each track. Billie Holiday’s vocals here aren’t as crisp as one may expect, though they’re still very good. The orchestration is lovely, but a lack of solos / instrumental breaks early on doesn’t let them feel as dazzling as they should. Since it’s a cover album, I can’t exactly critique the lyrics much. Overall, for a bit there, I just wasn’t totally into it despite each track being really technically sound. All I had to do was close my eyes. It really is that simple – just closing the eyes & filling in some of the atmospheric blanks my brain wasn’t concocting from just the music alone really gave each track some additional space that made it feel more lived in. Billie Holiday’s ‘less crisp’ vocals suddenly felt fragile in a way that elevated each track more. The orchestration got some more time to shine, and as a result, the flow & blend of her voice felt like it was working more hand-in-hand than earlier; less of a slight wall of sound & more of an active participant in each track. It’s hard to go track by track here, since a lot of these are straightforward love songs (and a few were previously covered by Frank Sinatra on “In The Wee Small Hours”), but since they’re so straightforward, it’s just a matter of finding that mental imagery that these songs are trying to attract. It took me a bit to find it, and once I did (& once some of the early kinks of the album cleared up), the whole experience opened up. I do recognize that since the general structure of each track here feels kinda similar, it’s probably easy to bounce off of the album, or at the very least, it still might be hard to get into it as a full project. Those 44 minutes do feel a bit long at times, especially with the slower pacing on these tracks. For me, it would’ve taken more 'flaws' to consider bumping it down to a 4, but I also have more tolerance than some people. I do think it’s a 5, if only because the stretch from “You’ve Changed” to “Glad To Be Unhappy” felt undeniably strong (ESPECIALLY “But Beautiful”), and there’s not a single bad track here. I do wonder if there’s a ‘better’ Billie Holiday album out there, but this is a good pick regardless. I enjoyed it, and I’m glad it’s on the list.

Yes! I've been searching Orange Records for a Billie Holiday album every time I'm there, but haven't found one yet. She might be my favorite jazz artist. I would definitely pick up a physical copy of this if they had it. They made a movie a few years back about how the U.S. government kept coming after her for performing her song "Strange Fruit." Kind of a depressing movie, but she was a total badass. I listen to her music a lot when I make coffee in the morning.

I like this artist a lot, I've heard her before on the Fallout soundtracks. This album was enjoyable but I didn't find myself particularly hooked into it or anything.

Schmalz

Couldn't wait for it to end. Just not my style music at all.