Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I prefer some more bouncy Billie, but far out could that woman sing
Brilliant. Very nice listen.
Very classy and romantic. Not the type of music I would usually listen to but it makes me feel like I should lay on a hill with a lover.
My mum listens to this. But it’s very pretty and romantic.
Outside of my normal headspace but I immediately fell into it.
I've always respected Billie Holiday and enjoyed hearing her work whenever someone happens to put it on, but have never really reached for one of her albums to listen to on my own. Methinks that should change. Right off the bat you can tell there is going to be a theme for this record...sultry strings, lyrics with themes of love and love lost, and that unmistakable voice. I don't know that I ended up listening to this record in the best headspace to properly enjoy it, but it's definitely a good one that will likely be revisited at a more appropriate time.
If for some reason there was ever any question about the power of Holiday's voice this record floats in like one of her sultry songs. Harkening back to the golden-age of big bands and jazz singers, it is easy to see what sets her apart as a timeless voice.
This album is basically "All the Things Love Can Make You Feel 101." I'm a Fool to Want You and Glad to Be Unhappy stood out on first listen. The End of a Love Affair is the perfect track to end it. Can't imagine being a heartbroken teenage girl when this first came out.
Fantastic. Smooth and dreamy album. Honeyed, yet broken, sexy and wistful voice.
This album is just beautiful. The arrangements are amazing. The strings on songs like For Heaven's Sake are so lush and beautiful and the horn and flute parts are also very nice. Holiday's vocals aren't the best apparently because of her heroin addiction but they are unqiue and fit the songs well. There's a lot of emotion and, although it's not a perfect album, it is a very good one. But. SPOTIFY sucks because they decide to add random bonus tracks to the end of the album. There is another deluxe edition and this isn't it so there's just no way to listen to the album without a bunch of annoying outtakes of the same 2 songs tagged on at the end. That's not relevant to my thoughts on the album really, it's just a rant that I needed to include at some point. Favorite Songs: I'm A Fool To Want You, For Heaven's Sake, You Don't Know What Love Is, I Get Along Without You Very Well, It's Easy To Remember, But Beautiful Least Favorite Songs: The End of a Love Affair - The Audio Story Strong 8/10
amazing voice and perfect compliment to the rainy monday morning.
Really enjoyed doing some odds and ends around the house with this on. Incredible voice and every song told a story.
It's good but all the songs sound the same
Gut
Grand
Heartbreaking.
Her voice is so unique, beautiful, expressive, haunting, warm, rich, textured - a real force, and showcased so well by these songs and the orchestral backdrop.
I liked the live performances with the album I found online
Beautiful voice but it all started to sound very same same after a while. Just made it to a four.
lovely album. There's maybe a song or two i'd put on to feel sexy
muito chic ouvir billie holiday
Soulful!
Reminds me of Wall-E. Nice and calming.
Respect, but it was hard to get through the album in this non modern style
Beautiful instrumentals and old school sounds. Although a little slow at times.
This album was really interesting to me. It's amazing how much emotion she was able to portray with just her tone of voice. The instrumentation was beautiful and it fit Holliday's voice perfectly. Overall this album was very wistful and melancholy, with a touch of romance.
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.
Reading about Billie Holiday’s life while listening to this made me deeply upset on a workday morning. Albums quite good though.
This is nice, but not really my jam.
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.
She’s a legend. This gets too dark for me though
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
I generally prefer my jazz instrumental, but Billie is undeniably talented.
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
Beautiful but not my favorite music
Nice to listen to but not for me.
Good but most songs sounded very similar in tone and voice
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%
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.
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.
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.
I enjoyed listening to this album, but it definitely isn’t something I’d ever revisit.
Ok. Unique voice but songs are all very similar, musically and lyrically.
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.
billie holiday singt soooo schön. aber ich find s isch ei schnulze noch de andere. schwierig zum öpis anders als rd 3 geh leider.
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.
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
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
Fine to listen to.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
Someone's great grandma probably got RAILED to this album
Overall this was a decent jazz singing album.
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.
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
Super BLUE. You can hear her troubled life in each note. Genre defining artist!
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!
Uppenbarligen väldigt begåvad sångerska, och mysig känsla men inte så mycket mer än så tyvärr
Trevligt men inte så spännande.
Easy listen but nothing standouts to come back to regularly
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.
This definitely wasn't what I thought it was going to be. She sort of had that iconic 30's and 40's kind of sound. I didn't mind it. It was a fun listen to get into that mode. 4/15/26
This is #day599 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about some Lady Day today? Definitely a jazz voice that cannot be mistaken for any other. I don't really mind the whole affair. It's unlikely that I'd choose to play this on my own outside this list, though. "I'm a Fool To Want You" is a staple, of course. Sorry to learn about her drug addiction and subsequent demise. Also, her dog, Mister, was a cute fella. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day, wow, 600.
something i can see myself listening to for a very calm day
It’s fine and lovely.
7.5
this was nice, quite like the vibe and billie's voice. i did get tired of the orchestral strings though because the instrumentation was the same for every single song. was giving disney music ?
Really good but not my jam. Didn't listen to the entire thing.
Beautiful voice and music, but after a while they all sound kinda the same.
A truly lovely album with a very narrow range.
Truly iconic voice at the end of her life.
My first exposure to Billie Holiday was, I am afraid to say, with Fallout 3 when I was 17 years old with "Crazy he calls me". It was always one of my favourite tracks, Holiday's voice been both a juxtaposition and a complimenting sound to the vast destruction and oppressive wasteland. Holiday's vocals are a most prime example of a voice being "Hauntingly Beautiful"; I can only describe as having a deep subtlety that gives it it's true power. A deep shame, then, that there is such little variation in the tonality (I am trying to avoid using the word 'Vibe' but it is so good) from track to track. All of them bleed into each other in a way that makes each one lack a distinctive identity; I couldn't tell each track apart from each other. This is my only real criticism, as everything does come together beautifully on each track. This may be because of the time of it's release; Little Richard's album from this list was released 1 year earlier and had the exact same issue for me.
Maybe controversial given your review but I actually think the vocals are the issue for me here. She's so warbly. Musically I don't mind it, I like pretending I live in the 1950s
soft relaxing jazz. nothing i can complain about :)
this songs are so beautiful in a Disney wayyy!! cute
A nice little album
Meh
Great voice and smooth jazz tones. I think I liked her album Solitude more, but I'm sure she made plenty of good albums.
Just fine. 3/5
Same pace Chill vibes Not many streams 3/5
01) I'm a Fool to Want You - 6,5 02) For Heaven's Sake - 6,0 03) You Don't Know What Love Is - 6,0 04) I Get Along Without You Very Well - 6,0 05) For All We Know - 6,0 06) Violets for Your Furs - 6,0 07) You've Changed - 6,5 08) It's Easy to Remember - 6,0 09) But Beautiful - 6,0 10) Glad to Be Unhappy - 6,0 11) I'll Be Around - 6,0 12) The End of a Love Affair - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,13 (61/100) Current ranking: 639/840
5.7/10
A pretty pleasant record to listen to, love her voice, but it's a bit boring and very, very samey.
Little repetitive, but a lovely voice and some lovely songs.
Sounds like a Disney film
Easy but didn't make a strong impression. I like the atmosphere of this album and Billie Holidays voice though. From Musicboard (OG 1/17/26 [#27] Imported 2/26/26)
An amazing voice. The music and arrangements are really top notch as well.
I'm triggered from missing a Billie Holiday question at pub trivia last week. Music is pretty slow. Can definitely picture it at an old-timey night club.
The 50's track record so far on my list has been stellar, so it pains me a bit to have the hot streak come to an end. There's nothing "wrong" with this album. It's exactly what it is, a generational vocal talent towards the end of an era doing what she does best. But there's no astonishing hits, or many things to clearly differentiate many of the tunes from the others. It's nice. Billie Holiday's voice is every bit a classic, and the orchestration is lovely. But it just doesn't do enough for me, and I really don't know that I'll be coming back. Highlight: You Don't Know What Love Is
Most songs sounded the same despite her undeniable talent and iconic status. I was surprised this didn't grab me.
Feels like I’m in a New York underground jazz bar, dim lighting and great cocktails. Nice album about love. 3.5
Much love & respect to the incredible Ms.Day; a bad bee if ever there was one. I salute her stature, her contributions, and her output. Such a distinctive voice. This is an incredible record & a great listen in the right circumstance. I don't find myself in that circumstance often tho. I'm generally looking to crank this party up, not slow things down. And so we're gonna put this’un at a 3
I’m not sure if this album was really the best representation for the only Billie Holliday entry on this list. I always find it strange when they choose albums late in an artist’s career, especially ones where the singer’s voice has deteriorated so much. Despite that, I thought it was pretty decent. Holiday’s voice is pretty raspy but you could tell the technique was still there. The arrangements are really lush and beautiful.
This is just well and truly not my thing. Wouldn't be mad it was on or anything, and I'm sure for the type of person who loves wistful love ballads set to orchestras it's great, but for all the jazz I've voraciously consumed I just really don't care about this kinda stuff at all.
Such a fascinating and emotional voice, even stripped of so much of its power, but needs more hooks or snap for me to really love
This is all fairly one note, but it IS a gorgeous note. Listened in bed on a Sunday and felt sleepy n relaxed which I feel like is the correct way to experience this album
I went into this thinking it was going to be way better than it ended up being! Still not bad, every song is like getting drenched in perfume and sent hurdling into a romance. I guess I thought that there would be more variation?
Classic tunes with wonderful melodies and a strong emotional voice.
Amazing voice - unfortunately the songs/production are just so dated that does do her justice.
There's a lot of artist's final albums in this list. A little morbid? Is it hindsight, or does she sound pained in her singing on this album? Another talented artist abused and used by others. Sad that it takes posthumous reflection to get recognized. Not really a jazz album this, and not really a jazz fan, but I bet she sounds better singing in a small, dark club with a piano and a bass and not all the orchestra strings. Crossed between an album of Christmas-sounding songs and James Bond theme tunes.
Every time she holds a note, I imagine she's in a car going over rumble strips... I thought the music and her vocals were disconnected in a strangely beautiful way. Woodwinds remind me of classic Disney movies. 2.5/5 gramophones.
3/5 Vocais e arranjos lindos. A escolha do repertório, no entanto, deixa o álbum um tanto unidimensional.
Always good to listen to Billie. She was such a talent.
A nice, calming drive back from San Diego with Billie.
Nice background Muscic but not too keen on her voice
Dit voelt als een heel naar album om te zeggen dat het niet voor mij was. De arrangementen zijn classic en het zangtalent is 100% daar. De stem zelf haalt het niet meer. Eigenlijk tragisch gezien de omstandigheden, wat het ergens ook een extra laag geeft. Maar als ik eerlijk met mezelf ben zie ik mezelf niet nog eens naar dit album luisteren. 5/10
Billie Holliday had a mesmerising voice and was a hell of an icon back in the day before her untimely self-destructive death. However, I find this all a bit samey, even verging on dull at times musically, though the singing is pretty anguished. Quite depressing really. I can appreciate it and will go to a 3 in its original format but overall a bit of a disappointment.
I really like the uniqueness of her late-career voice. Is perfect for these kind of standard. Like many collaborations between orchestra and pop-jazz from the era, I find the arrangement a bit syrupy. 3.75/5
really gentle yet powerful
Great album I personally just get tired of the inflections she uses and the constant vibrato.
I like Billie Holiday’s earlier sparser jazzy records. I don’t think the lush big band orchestration on this album fits her voice and it just isn’t a style I enjoy. I think Billie Holiday belongs in this book but I would not have chosen this album.
Deservedly in the list. A very sorrowful album of the great blues artist, I might prefer 'Lady Sings the Blues'. 8/10 [KEEP]
If I could give this negative stars I would
Okay
Listening to this album made me sad. She was 43 or 44 when she recorded it, but her voice here is very rough and she sounds so tired. This is a recording of a brilliant talent at the end of her tragic life.
A bit dated, but you can hear the emotion in her voice. Will have to dig deeper into her earlier catalog.
It’s good, not great
I know it's good, and she has an amazing voice, but it never quite does it for me.
Just like Ella's album in terms of sound and lyrics. It's very same-y.
Good to see a Billie Holiday album on here. Pretty much the only album representation of pre-war music, along with Sinatra, Duke Ellington and that weird Dagmar Krause album. I don't think this is as good as Billie Holiday's older songs. The leaps in recording quality and her age kind of expose her shortcomings as a vocalist. Her voice sounds a lot better when softly spoken into a horn directly connected to Shellac. The songs don't really do much for me either and don't necessarily sound like they are hers.
This might be the first classic vocal jazz album that I thoroughly enjoyed from this list. The first track, I’m a Fool to Want You, is delightful and it’s still as striking as the first time I heard it in a Chanel perfume ad. I don’t think this is her best song but it’s definitely her best album. The orchestral arrangements are phenomenal.
Beautiful vocals, sweeping strings, lovely music.
I’m uncultured. Lovely voice. Monotonous.
Not my thing but the orchestra did sound incredible
She has a great voice but the songs all sound the same so you don’t get to hear her true range and voice talents.
Meshed together
Every song is pretty much the same. They all about heartbreak and love and I don’t really like her voice all that much.
this was only ok. maybe I expected more. all the tracks just blended together
Nice voice. Beautiful music.
There are some lovely and classic songs on this album, but I am not qualified to give it anything other than a 3.
I’ve always liked her voice but I’m ambivalent about the Sinatra-style orchestral treatment.
Highlights: Violets For Your Furs, But Beautiful. In a nutshell: "it's so easy to remember, and so hard to forget" I would love to hear a remastered edition of this album, because it was recorded in the "one mic only" era. Perhaps with limited takes? The strings are loud, the drums are soft. Billie is of course fantastic. I didn't get enough time to look into the album's recording background, so I'll come back to this. Overall: 5/10
unfortunately didnt liked her vocal
I do like these 50's, gentle ballad, orchestral-backed albums. Especially in winter time. The backing music is lovely, with it's occasional flutters and swells. It's just a real nice, warm kind of album. As others say, it totally all blends into one, and it feels overlong, so loses marks as a result. 3.5 rounded down.
Good old school
Good but I need to be in the mood.
pretty good stuff, not the best jazz stuff here but it’s definitely the longest
2.5/5
Y’all can love your Billie Holday as much as you want, but she’s not for me. I think it’s the style and instrumentation that I dislike, maybe I simply missed her shining moment(s). Plenty of church ladies sing just as lovely.
Легенда! Дуже м'який альбом для спокійного вечора вдома. 3.5
Not my preferred genre, and to be honest at first her voice didn’t appeal to me. But on second listen I started to appreciate the time she took to get the emotions across, and this album grew on me. Very talented song interpretation.
Every song is kind of the same
не, я не Шер, ай донт лав хим. тяжело с этим вокалом (
Billie has the voice of someone who has seen some shit. Soft and gentle, wry and raw.
i need to give it another listen but there are obviously things i appreciate! i just think few things ever hit....
Decent but not really my thing 3
There's no doubt that Billie Holiday's voice is one for the ages. I loved those trombone solos too. When I saw that J.J. Johnson was on this album I knew that this would be special. His tone was like none other. With all this, I didn't like the arrangements. All of those violins are from a bygone era.
A very good performance, just none of it really stood out to me.
She has an enthralling voice, and this album is a much more reasonable length than Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin songbook. The instrumentation feels simple, though.
Amazing voice but it didn't blow me away.
I thought this started off really good, but got a little samey and syrupy after a while. Like a lot of these 50s albums, it's very front-loaded. "I'm a Fool to Want You" was definitely the highlight, but "For Heaven's Sake" and "You Don't Know What Love Is" were also very good. 3.5 stars.
3.5
Bit gloopy like with the sameish syrupy orchestrations and not the best bunch of songs. I prefer Satin Doll or Nights In White Satin but this Lady In Satin is not too bad I guess.
Interesting
Not her greatest performance - elevated by Ray Ellis - I really would've thought Lady Sings the Blues would've been the Billie album
Not a very memorable listen compared to her other stuff but I liked it
Billie Holiday's voice was so unique that I'm struggling to describe it. It was evocative and tender, sophisticated yet relatable. It's beautiful with a gritty undertone that makes it imperfect, which in turn of course makes it perfect. Her talents make it such a shame she died young. Lady in Satin as her last released album is a solid choice. The songs flow smoothly. The accompaniment provided is perfect: it's well orchestrated but demanding the attention that's rightfully on Holiday's voice. All in all, quite the serene listen.
My reviews will sound like more than a broken record at this point, but i am not a huge jazz fan. That said, the talents and presence of Billie Holiday are undeniable. Her unique, warbly, sultry voice is sublime, and there just isn't much else like it. And while yes, this is technically jazz, it's VOCAL jazz; it's a showcase of her one of a kind voice against a backdrop of generally jazz music. But the jazz stylings are so subtle; her voice is allowed to be the shining triumph of the album, as it should be! The last album released in her lifetime, it's a strong reminder of the fact that she was making beautiful music up until the end of her life, which was ultimately cut too short.
Solid, though it feels like she could have done so much more than love songs.
calming music to listen to
a bit boring
From the first note…lovely melancholy. I’m not a huge fan of Billie’s voice, especially here where at times you can hear her dry lips open and the air can be heard annoyingly entering her nose. Some people might call that “honest” or “real”, but to me it’s like nails on a chalkboard. She sounds weary and used up. She certainly lived a rough life, so truly it’s pure truth in music. Her voice aside, the instrumentation is unbelievably beautiful. Epic, vast, and yet as warm as a comfy blanket on a cold winter day.
enjoyed
I do love her work. 3.5 for this collection.
I have heard some Holiday songs before but don't know much. Hard to believe she was only 43 recording this, it is a voice of experience. How good it is, how reflective of her career, I have no idea really! But it drifts by pleasantly. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: Yes: 29/107 (27%) Will I get? No
I know why Billie Holiday was significant, but this isn't the sort of music I listen to for fun.
Billie Holiday is one of the great classic jazz singers and it's easy to see why. Her voice is so distinction and dominates the recordings. The music is (to me) fairly run of the mill 50s crooner stuff. Pleasant but not all that interesting. But no one is here for that, are they? The vocals are what matter. "Lady in Satin" is the final album released in Holiday's lifetime and age has blunted the edges of her voice. It's deeper, heavier and more worn by life experience. It's probably less representative of her abilities, but it tells a great story. I always wished that singers like Billie Holiday had lived longer to have set their talents against a more varied palate of music, but they were a product of their time. Try as they might, there really aren't many singers quite like this any more.
I liked it, not loved it
3.0
It’s altight but not really my music.
I know this is good but not for me. It does also sound to samey musically. Good not great
Maybe it's churlish to criticize a Billie Holiday album, but this is like listening to her sing the phone book (with an army of strings in the back). I guess she ran out of Gershwins and Ellingtons and Berlins by the time she made this, but these songs are just no good. Listen to any other album instead--I'm enjoying All or Nothing at All.
I often think about what it would be like for me, as someone born in the 80s, to travel back in time armed with all I know, to try and live through the 50s. There would be a lot to recommend it - a slower, simpler way of life and a sense of hope after the downfall of the Nazis (lol from 2025). Great movies releasing at a manageable pace. However, having listened to plenty of the music from that time, it would have sucked dealing with the creative limitations. Few genres,, most of them poor, a handful of singers each singing the same handful of songs. Before people realised they could write for themselves. The same weep, choral arrangements. I simply could not cope. Them again, I'd just head to the nearest studio and play the unreleased songs of the future and become a star. And put plans in place so the MAGAs and Thatchers of the world never came to pass. Billie Holiday then. I would have listened to her. In limited bursts of course. There's only so much jazz a sane person can stand. This album is like every other 50s album. A bunch of covers. But at least Billie had character, in her performance and voice. I'll never listen to this again, and you don't need to. No-one needs to. But it's not terrible. It's exactly what you think it is, with added emotional weight and historical context. It's that context which, just barely, scrapes a three star review given how dull the songs are.
Gorgeous voice. This is apparently her last album and she passed away a year later at 44. Very jazzy, reminds me of my grandparents and christmas time. Starts to sound a bit samey. No true stand outs as a result
I’ll be honest I listened to two songs and then got distracted elsewhere
Strong opener with background music non intrusive and that voice. By third track music was more sweeping orchestral, plush, film score like. Would prefer more edge to the music but it was 1958. And her voice on this is excellent - fragile and captivating. Glad she added her surname for this album. Can’t believe she married Laurence Fox and Chris Evans.
First up, might I just note that I love Halliday’s voice and its croacking vulnerability. Collectively these songs bring me to a warm winter room, cosy evenings indoors, the scent of Christmas spices, sparks rising from a crackling log fire, a warm mulled wine in hand. It’s all going so well, but then after 20 minutes, it begins to sound pretty much the same. I just don’t have the legs for this. So in conclusion, this would make a pleasant, background soundtrack, seasonal selection at the mythical Cafe Kelvinos, though I think the proprietor would be inclined to play a “best of” collection. I’ll try her again in 6 weeks time once I’ve got my cinnamon cloves and star anise on a rolling boil with some sugar, fruit, and red wine.
String arrangents were beautiful although a little boring towards the end. Her vocal ability earns her a spot on this list for sure but it just wasny quite my cup of tea.
nice
Favorite Track: But Beautiful
Background lounging and chatting music
It was nice, but it all sounded the same after a while
Classic Jazz vocalist enjoyed the feel and atmosphere of the first few songs but not a lot of variety as the songs have a sameness and I lost interest by the end. Very distinctive singer.
More big band sound than jazz, not my favorite BH album
I don’t know why, Mr. Frodo… it makes me sad. Just kidding. I do know why. It’s because Billie sounds utterly spent. Tough one to rank. Beautiful in haunting way, but that’s about it.
This is a tough one to rate. Billie Holliday is in that inner circle of Very Important American Musicians with Ella, Dylan, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Elvis, Sinatra, Bing, Gershwin etc. but this is an extremely diminished Billie Holliday whose voice is a rough listen at times. It's a magnificent orchestra that's accompanying her though and it makes for a good send off. Three with all due respect.
Nice record, very unique voice, very bittersweet
Great background music. Super chill. Not really into this type of music though… Would I listen to again? Maybe
she sounds like yoda from the seagulls song
Very soothing but lacked in variety until the end with the re-record tracks that were really charming
Pretty good. I didn't finish the album but I did pick up a Billie Holiday CD at the thrift store today. I can listen to this as study or background music.
Well,you got to have a jazz trained ear to appreciate this last swan song of the great Billie Holiday as it should and frankly i don't.The strings arrangments are heavenly in contrast with the raw vocal but eventually it works at times. Favourites: For Heaven's Sake, I Get Along Without You Very Well,this one was quite interesting, You've Changed,her vocals are the best in this, So Easy To Remember,i wish that wasn't that long though. Overall is 5/5 for Ellis orchestra but 3/5 for Mrs Holiday sorry.
Lady In Satin is another one of those albums where i can speak pretty positively about the music but the vocals, not so much. Ray Ellis and his orchestra did the main heavy lifting of the album in my opinion with some pretty good music with some great work especially on the violins, kinda giving a Frank Sinatra vibe with all the music and it really fits each and every song. My main issue with this album though is Billie's vocals, she sounded like an old lady in this album (which didn't make much sense seeing as she was 43 when this album came out). This is just a problem with this album that i don't have with other vocal jazz by women. I liked the music, I just wish the vocals were better. Best Song: The End of a Love Affair Worst Song: For Heaven's Sake
Even in a not this music type of mood because of the mellow sadness. I always enjoy her voice and this made me feel a bit better at the moment.
The rich rawness of her voice is tantilising - however the live elements of this album didn't make me feel a part of the process.
Solid, holds up but not super itneresting
I would give this 3 and 1/2 if I could.
9/22/2025 happy birthday Silas and Nolan 😁 Really pretty voice, no real flaws. Not quite enough for a 4 personally, but could easily see how this would land there for people.
Certainly one of the more unique voices I have heard. Nice soothing album all around. Only gripe I have with it was that I feel like I could hear her lips smacking each time before she was about to start singing and that was a bit disturbing.
Definitely some solid jazz that leans a bit more on the vocals, which go great with her raspy voice. It was pleasant but found myself nodding off after a few songs with no huge difference. Don't see myself coming back here. Solid 3.
Good for the genre
What a voice!!
good
Not bad, she can really sing.
I wanted to like this more than I did. Her voice is tremendous, one of a kind. And the recording is perfect, the band is great. But all the songs sound the same. It's probably great kitchen music but there's also a lot of great kitchen music out there and this would be pretty far down the line. I'm glad I listened to it, but I don't know if I'd return to it.
Very good singer Reminds me of ww2 songs Not my normal type of music
Good
I truly don't know how to rate it. It's nice but not what I want to listen to/doesn't grab my ear. 3?
I’m more familiar with Billie Holiday’s earlier recordings, so hearing how much her voice had aged on this was poignant. Her singing is still expressive, but the arrangements and tempos are so similar, the songs kind of blend into each other.
Jazz. What a voice! Smokey Jazz at its best. The instruments sound great and so smooth next to her smokey voice. These are straight up songs about love and losing love. No nuance or symbolism. Just honest and up front. Very chilled and relaxing.
It’s all performed well, but didn’t have the spark that her reputation makes you expect. I think maybe this was the wrong album to highlight
It is the perfect Album for doing something relaxing and calming in the real reality, like reading or drawing!
Beautiful voice but not really my thing
You could tell this was a later entry from Holiday. Her voice sounds a lot deeper/raspier. Pretty good- not exactly my favorite but pleasant to listen to.
Outstanding voice, but the same string arrangement makes everything snoozy
I feel like I should cherish this, but I don't. Often, old vocal jazz has a tendency to just wash over me; sometimes, that's nice enough, for a ~vibe~ (#75 Sarah Vaughn, "At Mr. Kelly's"), and only occasionally the songs do indeed grab and move me (#263 Nina Simone, "Wild is the Wind") but this album with its soundtrack-y carpet of saccharine orchestra music a fellow reviewer likened to a Disney princess score - for which I can't blame them - does even less for me. And if you need to hear a Billie Holiday album before you die - you probably should - make that "Lady Sings the Blues". I do love the occasional trombone solos here, though.
romantic and emotional, beautifully orchestral
bl
decent album. the production and arrangements are nice enough. you can tell ms. holiday has the vocal chops, even though her voice had seen better days at this point. but ultimately, this is another (maybe the first?) example of what i am finding is one of my least favorite genres of album: "musical artist makes a sad album when they are dying" i'm familiar enough with billie's other work to know there's a big difference between her heyday and this album and much like other similar "last album" entries on this list, it doesn't mean anything profound to me that a gruff sounding singer is singing sad songs. not my thing. it's not bad, but i'm just disinterested in this type of album at this point.
I don't think I'd listened to this before despite enjoying peak Holiday, and I found myself really quite moved by the audible deterioration of her voice. Adds a really mournful quality to a lot of these covers.
Definitely very good, but not something I would put on myself.
Her singular voice is in rough shape by this point, but her phrasing and sense of feeling remains. The orchestra sounds great and I particularly enjoyed the trumpet work. I respect Lady Day deeply and my listen was nice enough, but I don’t think I’ll revisit in full.
The last album she recorded, and I'd prefer her with a small combo than orchestra, as with all jazz vocalists. But still a voice you could listen to singing the numbers from the phone book as the saying goes. Strong 3 stars.
Very difficult album to talk about. Holiday is obviously one the best and most unique jazz singers of all time, and this album is definitely not her finest hour vocally, but that's not why it's here. This is a document of an artist who has been completely wrecked by life and still managed to gather the strength for one last set of songs. This all make the whole thing a whole lot more poignant, but not any less depressing. Key tracks: I'm a Fool to Want You
This was sad
Colour me ignorant but I wasn't expecting that voice
Her voice is not like satin. It’s like she drank a glass of chocolate milk then got behind the mic. The bubble in her throat is the real star here.
Sounds like it’s time - late 1950s. Her voice isn’t what I expected - not grand and big. The orchestra is very loud. She believes in what she is saying even tho these types of records always seem sterile to me but that was the design at the time. This is a major project.
Not my style.
Shockingly well mixed and mastered for an album from the 1950's! The symphony was well paired, but I think a simpler jazz trio backing her vocals would have hit the whiskey-bar-vibe a bit nicer, to me at least. At times it sounded like her voice was weak (or maybe she was drunk), so it was interesting to read on the album's Wikipedia page that her voice had changed from years of alcohol and drug abuse. Enjoyable listen that I'm sure would sound nice on vinyl, perhaps I just need an Italian villa to play it in to reach the pinnacle of the listening experience for this album.
Varje låt lät mer eller mindre likadant. Mysigt.
Sombre feeling throughout as it was one of her last recordings. Very same-y but very lush and pretty.
It was nice, but not as good as I had hoped. Her vocals were beginning to show the ravages of time and substance abuse. The orchestra / band was good, but I feel that any number of bands could have sounded at least this good if not better. If you are new to Billie Holiday there are way better examples than this album.
Don't really know how to feel about this one, its just fine to me. Her voice is great and the instrumentation creates a soft bed for the rougher edges of her voice but it all gets a bit samey quite fast. I'll check out some other album of hers as well, since I had this same problem with Willie Nelson, their most popular albums seem to be the weakest to me.
She has a lovely voice, it's as smooth as Satin. Overall, it was easy to listen to, but I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as other albums on this list.
Such a great voice. I would love to hear more of her songs in even better quality. I feel like some of the grandeur of her voice and the big bad behind her gets lost in the distortion of the older recording.
'GoEd AlBum VOor BIj HaArDVuuR' -> Jip bij elk soul album
Often imitated and never duplicated, I have nothing but love for Billie Holiday and her truly unique voice. I enjoyed listening to this album. That’s said, it was very difficult for me to determine when one of these songs ended, and the next one began. A lot of similarities across this album. So a pleasant listen, but not exactly ripe with distinct musical moments.
cover - 7/10 im a fool to want you - 7/10 unique vocals, really hits the 1950s vibe, for heavens sake - 6.5/10 whimsical and dreamy you dont know what love is - 8/10 literally sounds straight out of disney i get along without you very well - 7.5/10 upbeat yet slow, love for all we know - 7/10 violets for my furs - 6.5/10 youve changed - 7.5/10 hey i love the bg music in this one its easy to remember - 7/10 but beautfiul - 6.5/10 overall - 6/10 - got a lil repetitive but all the songs are still good
I just have a really hard time getting into this kind of mid-century lounge music. I'm sure it's objectively good, just not really for me.
One of the great vocalists.
I have a soft spot for Billie because of fallout but in actually listening to this album theres not much here that makes it stand out 6/10 Favourite: I Get Along Without You Very Well Least Favourite: Ill Be Around
Beautiful, but, maybe due to the era, but no song really stood out because they all sounded the same just about.
Hard to escape the drowning strings, but when you hear just her voice you are transported. Woman could sing. Unrequited love's a bore, and yessir I've got it bad.
I expected I would love this album, but I was having a difficult time relating to it on any level. I’ve heard other Billie Holiday stuff that I thought was beautiful, this was weepy and sweepy and sleepy orchestral, and frankly uninteresting. I’m having a hard time dipping below a three star, but it’s hanging on for dear life.
I have mixed feelings about this album. It’s very repetitive, with all of the tracks sounding alike. I was also not feeling her voice, and reading that this is at the end of her career after her voice started to decline, it makes sense why. I will have to listen to one of her earlier albums to see for myself what Ms Holiday should sound like. I did enjoy the album though and it made nice background music as I started my work day and enjoyed my tea. So I am going to go with a 3.
when the billie ain't holidaying
Billie Holiday sings slow-tempo, intimate songs of love and heartbreak with her sultry voice over gently swinging and delicate orchestral arrangements. Her vocals, both tone and phrasing, communicates on a deeply emotional level - she has an ability to make you feel what she’s feeling. You can hear her life and experience in her voice, which is equal parts smooth and sweet while rough around the edges.she has an amazing ability to both attract and repel at the same time. She may be trouble, but maybe that trouble is worth it. It’s sometimes touching, but also hard for me to imagine revisiting this regularly.
While an excellent vocalist, Billie's voice, due to her drug addiction and alcoholism, was no longer what it once was by the time this album was recorded. It is not one of her best records. Each song is bound by a very narrow band of range and lacks the vitality and expressiveness that she exhibited in her earlier works.
Up front, this is not doing a ton for me. It's good, but nothing I haven't really heard before (probably due to Billie's influence, honestly). The singing in particular isn't great, but my understanding is this is one of the last things she recorded and by then her voice had lost a lot of it's punch. Additionally, there's not much daylight between the songs, they all sound very similar. Interesting that this is the only Billie Holiday record on the list, especially with a bunch being higher rated on Rate Your Music. Wouldn't be opposed to getting an earlier Billie album on the list. Kinda as a non-sequitur, I recently listened to The Caretaker's dementia project albums (An Empty Bliss Beyond This World and Everywhere at the End of Time), and this album kinda reminds me a little of the ballroom music Kirby sampled for those albums. So much in the same way I call music that sounds like it could be used in the Fallout games or show "Fallout-core" (40s/50s jazz/rock), I'm gonna start calling music that'd work for an Everywhere at the End of Time project "Alzheimers-core", lol. Edit: Went ahead and listened to Lady Sings the Blues to get a feel for her vocals before her alcoholism and heroin use did a number on her voice (although it sounds like the deterioration had already started by this point). Definitely enjoying this more than Lady in Satin, the vocals are livelier and more consistent, and the backing band is more upbeat and interesting. Not to say Lady in Satin isn't good, just Lady Sings the Blues is more my speed. Lady in Satin feels like a record that requires context to enjoy fully (her health issues) whereas the enjoyment of Lady Sings the Blues is more straightforward. I wouldn't remove Lady in Satin from the list, it's important, but I would definitely add Lady Sings the Blues to give a fuller picture of her life and career.
Very nice.
An unfortunate swan song that could not live up to a legend's legacy
One of these artists you can adore but get very little out of their albums.
Classic voice. A lot of similar sounding songs.
Very slow.. Hard for me to pay attention. Good background music for a romantic date maybe.
Nothing to note.
Groundbreaking. Legendary. All the props going her way. However, this album is very dated. I wasn’t k produced to it until now and it all felt one note. It’s a good note but one note nonetheless.
I was previously familiar with Billie Holiday but probably couldn't name any songs. This album has some nice songs and she has a great voice. That said, this sort of music isn't something I would choose to listen to very often.
Bland
5/10 - it’s old timey and fits that vibe but it’s not my favorite because of that
She is undeniably talented. This style doesn’t really do it for me, but her skill takes it far regardless.