Reviews (page 4 of 8)
It’s altight but not really my music.
bit slow
This was a welcome relief after the horror of the Allman Brothers. The dreamy orchestrations are the perfect setting for her fragile, prematurely ancient voice. During the second song, I found myself wondering if Bob Dylan had studied her phrasing. I tired of it by the end, but I would listen to it again. When I found my attention wandering, the solos brought me back in.
I know this is good but not for me. It does also sound to samey musically. Good not great
Сначала мне было тяжело включиться в этот альбом. Но после того как я проникся голосом Билли я начал получать кайф от этих однообразных, размеренных песен. Прекрасный альбом
schöne Musik.
Not really a fan to start with and these songs are awful. They all sound the same.
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.
First of all, Billie Holiday is amazing and one of the greats. Obviously. But there better be other albums by her on this because this felt like an odd one to include. It’s great but I wouldn’t say it should be in over others.
I’ve heard of Billie Holiday before, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of her songs. I read about her version of “Strange Fruit” in Dorian Lynskey’s 33 Revolutions per Minute, but I never wound up checking out the song. I know it’s selfish, but I was afraid listening to it would have made me depressed or angry or both. I know “Strange Fruit” isn’t on this album, but I’m excited to listen to it, and see what Billie Holiday has in store. Well, Lady in Satin wasn’t really my cup of tea. I was pretty taken aback by Billie’s voice right off the bat. It wasn’t raspy, but it had a certain unpolished quality to it that I wasn’t expecting. Having reviewed a lot of similar albums from this era, I expected her singing to be pretty close to Ella Fitzgerald, but that wasn’t the case. I found this album to be pretty boring. I didn’t think there was anything particularly noteworthy about the musical arrangements, and every song had a very similar theme or mood to it, which I found pretty monotonous. Even though I didn’t like Billie Holiday’s voice, it would have been nice to hear her explore other emotions than heartache and love. This album just wasn’t for me, and I found it to be a chore to get through. Given Billie Holiday’s reputation, I expected way more out of this album.
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
Just a really enjoyable album
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.
Old sounding. Vocals seem too affected for me in this day and age. I'm probably a heathen.
Interesting album, vocals obviously technically compromised yet instead there is a World weary, fragile beauty to them. In that sense not unlike Doors LA Woman - it screams "I have lived" but with hindsight, a sad subtext that "I may not live much longer". Production a little sugary on the whole but edging a 4 given it's juncture.
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.
Two wildly different takes: 1. "Lady In Satin" is what we get for a Billie Holliday album so that she gets representation in music we should all be familiar with/hear before we die, but since albums were a nascent format in 1958, this is all we get and it's not very representative of her best work because of drugs and a production style that tried to prop her up as much as possible. 2. "Lady In Satin" is a heartbreaking performance of a giant of vocal jazz, herself heartbroken. Each note is a reminder of loss and sorrow. I'm going with 1. This is far from her best performances, but due to the constraints of the list, this is what we get. Go out and find some early Billie Holliday and see what she was really about.
Album very Jazz. Contains much sound. It is rated. "Vocal Jazz" is less Jazz than normal Jazz, which is a slight improvement. My introduction to her song "You Don't Know What Love Is", was actually from the band Sublime on their track "Raleigh Soliloquy, Part III" Do yourself a favor. Listen to that first, and then go back and listen to parts 1 and 2. You won't be disappointed.
This is a one-note album. It's one long orchestral-backed meandering of vocal boredom. I don't get it.
Billie Holiday has a fantastic voice and this album is one of the best ways to experience it, truly amazing.
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.
This is a long way from Billie’s best work, which for me is the incredible collection of recordings she mad at Decca. Here is Billie in her Dylan era, using all of her experience and genius to overcome a voice absolutely destroyed by drugs and alcohol, and let’s face it, an absolutely brutal life. It’s a tough listen and incredible all at the same time. You’ve Changed is truly incredible. Hard to recommend when she has so much better material, but for a fan, it’s indispensable
nice
Great female vocalist. Great unique voice. Did songs that fit her voice perfectly.
Favorite Track: But Beautiful
I liked this a lot. Great arrangements, great voice. Trombone solo in the first track was amazing.
Crec que ja havia escoltat aquest album.
Ihanaa! Juuri sopivaa taustakuunteluun ja tunnelmointiin<3
Background lounging and chatting music
It was nice, but it all sounded the same after a while
Me: Hi, this is not what I paid for. My Travel Agent: Sorry, this is all I have on file for you.
elegant jazz music from yet another skilled singer who died way too soon. it's an unfortunate trend with some of these people... this is the final album that was recorded and released during holiday's lifetime. this album is VERY pretty sounding. i always feel relaxed and nostalgic for an era i've never experienced when listening to the kinds of soft jazz by holiday, fitzgerald... etta james comes to mind too. she's got a really unique voice, and she knows how to control it too. i close my eyes and imagine myself in a cozy cabin or restaurant, a blizzard outside and i'm just comfy and safe, sipping on a drink.
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'm sorry, I just really do not get the appeal of jazz
4/5
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.
Picture a trim late 50's-early 60's spinster looking out her midtown Manhattan apartment window at a dreary gray afternoon with a martini in hand. This is the musical distillation of that nostalgic reminiscing (complimentary)
I prefer the older, jazzier music I've heard from her. This was interesting for a listen but I don't feel I'd listen repeatedly.
The gold standard
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
Only previous experience I have had with this lady was being dragged to the cinema by a former girlfriend in the 70’s to watch Lady Sings The Blues. In my musical ignorance in those days I’d no idea who Billie Holiday was but remember being bored to death watching it. Don’t know if that bad experience influenced me or not but I continued through life completely ignoring Billie Holiday because her music meant nothing to me at all. Only recently have I eventually dipped my toe into the female jazz singer catalogue. Patricia Barber and Melanie De Biasio to name just two of my favourites. When I listen to this album I obviously compare it to these two modern contemporaries who I am sure if I were to read their biographies would cite Billy Holiday as an enormous influence. That may be so but personally i do prefer the more modern offerings. But no one can deny that Billie Holiday was a very significant artist and singer and so deserves a place on this list. 2/5 18/10/25
Beautiful, sonorous
Very soothing but lacked in variety until the end with the re-record tracks that were really charming
I love Bob Dylan, love Neil Young, love Joni Mitchell. Non of them can be described as having conventional voices. But Billie Holliday's voice leaves me cold. Would like it to be different. It is what it is.
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.
Full disclosure, I was going to give this five stars before hearing a note because, even though I hadn’t heard this album before, I’d never listened to anything by Billie Holiday and not been blown away and/or torn apart. There is no other voice like it, not just in terms of tone but in emotion. If you can’t hear her pain, love, or whatever she’s putting out, you have to be even more dead inside than I am.
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.
Can’t really go wrong with Billie. This pretty vanilla, but her interpretations are always top notch.
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
Beautiful and poignant. No one sounds like Billie. An absolute legend that everyone should listen to at least once.
A very soulful and unique voice. I can see how it was very influential on future music, but it is not something I am going to throw on all the time. Still pretty decent.
The production on this album is dreamlike. The vocals though are not. They are weathered and not as effective as before. Something does not quite happen within the marriage of instrumentation and voice. Better collections of Billie holiday are available
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.
Sweet old grandma music.
Lovely, perfect Monday morning commute album
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.
Dope
Solid, holds up but not super itneresting
Crooner jazz as only Billie Holiday could deliver it. Her gift as a singer is on display here, though her voice has lost some of its earlier beauty. However, that translates in practice to a melancholy delivery of these ballads that suits them incredibly well.
Why is this even here
Reminds me of old cartoons/Disney movies. All the songs kind of blended into one. Nothing really stood out to me. Favorite song: n/a
Reading these reviews… Some music needs to be listened with your heart and not with your brain.
Sad smoky warbling. Can think of precisely zero occasions when I would think "oooooh, I must play this"
Honestly didn’t really like this, the vocals were kinda off putting and the instrumental wasn’t that interesting. 2 stars
Holiday’s voice sounds like the floorboards are about to give, which, in her case, is another way of saying it sounds like truth. Her life was nothing short of tumultuous, and her singing on this record, recorded a year before her death, is a testament to everything she endured. It’s too bad that her voice is accompanied by an orchestra whose sole job it seems was to soften the pain and tiredness emanating from that truth but really just ends up diminishing the power of the performances. This isn’t jazz so much as exploitation.
edit: this was actually a lot better, and much sadder, than i thought it was going to be before going in. i was surprised by how much i liked it! very different from my typical, but very good and definitely a worthwhile listen.
This was recorded in 1958 near the end of Holiday's life. Listen to the Centennial Edition to hear the many takes it took to get to the final recording. Excellent recording !
I love listening to her. It isn't fair, some of these songs aren't wonderful, one or two I end up skipping out of, but I will always gravitate towards this album.
I would give this 3 and 1/2 if I could.
Super excited to see that I got this album yesterday. I had so much fun with the Elle Fitzgerald album, I couldn’t wait to listen to this….but I had to wait because football and sports betting took precedence. So after I lost all my money, I popped on Lady Day to help ease my wallet. Well, I was surprised to hear that Billie Holiday didn’t sound like a carbon copy of Ella Fitzgerald. Holiday has a very unique singing voice, at least on this album. She kind of reminded me of a female Louie Armtstong. She has a bit of a frog in her throat. It’s not bad, but it takes some time to get used to, I must admit. After consulting Wikipedia, at this point in her career, her voice had changed due to years of alcohol and drug abuse, and she didn’t quite have her upper register, at least according to critics. However, her voice still has this quality to it that can’t be explained. It’s like hearing Johnny Cash on those American Recordings albums he did in his last few years of life. The music is beautiful with a full orchestra backing Holiday. It’s so good. Nothing like an orchestra to bring out a female singer’s voice. The songs are these sweet, and sometimes mournful, jazz and pop songs. While her voice might not sound the same as it did 10-15 years earlier, it still works. I found myself falling more and more in love with Holiday as I listened to this album. I’m going to go back to hear what she sounded like in her early career. Holiday would be dead inside a year after recording these songs due to years of alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a shame that so many talented artists who make millions happy with their art are also some of the most tortured souls.
This is simply a beautiful and elegant album from a "simpler" time. Holiday has an iconic voice that pairs well with the soft loungy jazz instrumentals here. I'm a Fool to Want You is an obvious standout that everyone has heard before. You've Changed is another solid track. In between those two, I can't say anything critical about the music itself other than it makes me feel a little sleepy. Nonetheless, this is pretty music and falls somewhere in a 4 category for me.
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.
A classic from a legend. Not much else to say. 8/10
What a beautiful album. It's like one long 44 minute suite on heartbreak. Billie sounds rough and raw but sincere and serene. The orchestration was created to sort of "cover" for her voice, but I find it adds so very nicely and doesn't ever intrude
Old school female crooning. Decent voice, inspiration for Winehouse? It gets old so quickly Spotify version has bonus tracks.. not listening to those thanks! Best track - any, they all sound the same... picking Glad to Be Unhappy since that's how this album makes me feel. 2 stars
Övertygen har röstats. Vokaljazzen har gillats. Fint å sånt, bror. En bror gillar när den violioliolej håller på gå in på typ den viva piñata bror, de e fett. Det var också återfärskande med ett album som inte var för långt för sitt eget bästa, fet plus på det.
I didn’t really like this one
Good for the genre
I thought it started pretty strong and I enjoyed the self-aware lyrics in her recognition of being in a relationship that she just can't quit. But this all started to blur together, and frankly bored me by the midpoint.
What a voice!!
Amazing voice obviously but musically not all that interesting
Love the instrumentation, don’t love Billie Holiday’s voice. She was in her early 40’s when this was recorded but she sounds at least 70. Plus, I can hear every single one of her mouth noises in perfect clarity on this recording and it’s driving me nuts. It’s like listening to someone chew peanut butter slowly with their mouth open. 2.4/5
good
I was a bit turned off by the raspy voice and just my own unfimiliarity of the genre but wow I was blown away. Its so sad and love sick but its also so unbelievably classy as well. And its just all around beautiful. I got used to billies unique vocal delivery pretty quick and fell into a relaxed state with the just smooth instrumentation. What a crazy beautiful record as a whole. Just cant say enough about how killer this is. My favorite track I think has to be Glad to be Unhappy. Just gorgeous. Great record and after some time thinking on it it needs full credit. A+ work
I felt like I listened to a lot of slow dance songs. I like jazz but this was a bit too slow and a bit too much for me. She has a great voice though.
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
vocal jazz... het is een genre maar niet het mijne... sorry aan alle puristen (maar toch niet)
Good
I've heard plenty of Billie Holiday that I liked, but this one is just incredibly slow. Like painfully slow. Up the tempo just a notch and I'd have liked it. Up it a couple of clicks on the dial and I might have loved it.
There aren't enough stars
1.9 I went off this the more I listened to it. At first I was intrigued, but god does it get grating after a while. I'm not sure why I gave it a third play through. Also, can we not normalise albums full of cover songs on here?
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.
Not bad, just boring
This sounds like an album recorded by a heartbroken Disney princess. That maybe smoked. The tempos are smooth and slow, the lyrics are heartfelt and vulnerable. Her singing style is emotive and delicate. Perfect for finding love and losing it.
Meh
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.
Voilà on y est, voici une de ces œuvres que le grand livre nous présente comme un monument intouchable, un pinacle de l'émotion, un disque-testament. "Lady In Satin" de Billie Holiday. Sur le papier, tout est là pour me plaire. On me parle d'un album de rupture, de la quintessence de la chanson triste, enregistré par une femme au bout du rouleau, la voix ravagée par une vie d'excès et de chagrins. Une icône brisée qui livre ses dernières forces dans un micro. Putain, ça sonne presque comme du neofolk avant l'heure, un truc qui pourrait faire passer les disques les plus sombres de Nick Cave pour des comptines pour enfants. J'étais prêt, j'étais prêt à pleurer, à me rouler en boule, à sentir le poids de l'humanité m'écraser. J'ai donc appuyé sur "play" et... le choc, le putain de choc total. Comment dire... Imaginez que vous attendiez un film de David Lynch et que vous vous retrouviez devant un Walt Disney. Car c'est ça, l'album sonne comme la bande originale d'un Disney, et c'est effroyable. On a d'un côté la voix de Billie, et de l'autre, cette production... ces arrangements... ce déluge de violons sirupeux qui semble tout droit sorti de la scène où la mère de Bambi se fait buter. C'est ça, "Lady In Satin" : la mère de Bambi vient de crever, mais les petits oiseaux bleus continuent de chanter et de virevolter autour de son cadavre encore chaud. C'est obscène. Alors oui, je veux bien entendre l'argument des puristes : "Oui, mais c'est justement ce contraste qui est génial ! La voix brisée, spectrale, qui lutte contre ces arrangements lisses et parfaits, c'est ça le génie !". Mon cul, ouais. Pour moi, ce n'est pas un contraste, c'est un sabotage. C'est comme mettre du papier peint à petites fleurs roses sur les murs d'un squat de punk. Ça n'a aucun sens. Et la voix de Billie... parlons-en, ce n'est plus la diva au timbre d'or. C'est une femme qui se noie, on l'entend chercher son souffle, sa justesse est précaire, chaque note semble être un effort surhumain. C'est poignant, c'est tragique, c'est la vérité crue d'une vie qui s'éteint. Et qu'est-ce qu'ils ont foutu par-dessus ? Une tonne de guimauve. Un océan de sucre glace. Une avalanche de bons sentiments orchestraux qui cherchent à tout prix à rendre la misère... jolie. Car il faut être honnête, la production de ce disque est une insulte, chaque fois que la voix de Billie, fatiguée, spectrale, menace de nous raconter quelque chose de vrai, de nous faire ressentir le poids de sa vie de merde, paf ! Un coup de harpe. Vlan ! Une charge de violons qui te donnerait envie de gerber des arcs-en-ciel. On dirait que l'orchestre a pour seule et unique mission d'étouffer la moindre parcelle d'âme qui tente de s'échapper. "Oh là, attention, elle va nous faire chialer ! Vite, balancez la sauce mielleuse, les gars !". C'est simple, écouter "Lady In Satin", c'est comme assister à une lobotomie en direct dans le château de la Belle au bois dormant. Tout est lisse, propret, dégueulassement inoffensif. C'est de la douleur pour les nuls, de la tragédie pour les gens qui ont peur de se salir les mains. C'est le son parfait pour un dîner chez des gens qui pensent que le jazz, c'est "sympa pour l'ambiance". Je reviens sur mon image de Disney, ce n'est même plus la mort de la mère de Bambi. C'est Blanche-Neige qui chante "Un jour mon prince viendra" après s'être fait violer par les sept nains. Le décalage est si monstrueux qu'il en devient grotesque. Alors oui, il y a la voix, ce fantôme qui flotte au-dessus du marécage de guimauve. On l'entend, elle est là, elle se débat. Elle nous rappelle qu'avant ce massacre, il y avait une artiste immense, une femme qui a tout vécu, tout chanté. C'est pour elle, et uniquement pour elle, que ce disque mérite un point. Un point pour le courage. Un point pour la peine. Un point pour la voix et uniquement pour la voix. Pour ce filet sonore brisé, ce râle d'agonie magnifique qui est la seule chose authentique sur cette putain de galette. Pour le reste... C'est un monument de mauvais goût, un exemple parfait de la façon dont l'industrie musicale peut transformer l'or en merde. Fuyez. Ou alors, écoutez-le pour comprendre ce qu'est un sabotage artistique. C'est une leçon, en quelque sorte, une leçon qui coûte très, très cher à mes oreilles.
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
Lady in Satin is often spoken about as a poignant, late-period work, but as an actual listening experience it is hard to enjoy. Billie Holiday’s voice by this point had lost much of its strength and clarity, leaving her delivery fragile and often strained. The orchestral arrangements behind her are lush and carefully put together, but they highlight just how much she was struggling to carry the melodies. Songs that should sound elegant or heartbreaking instead come across as tired, and it makes the record more uncomfortable than moving. There is certainly historical weight in hearing Holiday so near the end of her career, and some listeners might find the vulnerability powerful in its own way. Yet musically, it does not come together. The orchestra feels disconnected from the worn, shaky vocals, and the result is an album that is easier to respect as a document of an artist’s decline than to enjoy as a record.
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
The performance is so rough, raw and mannered it’s not a great entry point for listening to Holiday. It’s an emotional performance like a sad farewell.
William Holiday. Excellent. The 50’s. My most overinflated decade. Nothing has been outright bad, but nothing has blown my mind either. Of course because the rest of the music from other eras has been generally so dreadful, it looks from my profile as though I’m one of those guys that wears porkpie hats and pines for the bygone era of lobotomized housewives and segregation. I’m not, ok? I know that Billie Holiday has a unique voice, so I’m excited for this, but I’m not excited for every song to be along the same lyrical lines as every other 50s song. Ooooh you love me and I love you, OR you don’t love me, but I love you OR we loved but you left for another. The trinity of boredom. Will the unique tone of her voice trump tired lyrical tropes? Or will I be whisked in a blender of mediocrity? What is that metaphor? Ugh. I’m a Fool to Want You - Oh boy. This is what this is hey? Billie Holiday near the end of her life. The voice is raspy. This is the exact kind of sentiment that fits this sound. Miserable, dark, and eerie. For Heaven’s Sake - See, this is the opposite of what this should be. This is incredibly creepy, but seeing as it isn’t intentional, it just comes off as sad. You Don’t Know What Love Is - Not a huge fan of the instrumentation on this one. It feels soaring and triumphant at times where that just shouldn’t be the case here. Between the voice and the general state of this person singing, this should take a different avenue. I Get Along Without You Very Well - More Disney music with these tortured vocals that are singing the strangest lyrics I can fathom this voice to sing. For All We Know - What can I say? This format may be dead soon. I can’t comment on each and every track when they’re all kinda the same thing. Violets For Your Furs - What a bummer of a trade. I suppose PETA will be amped that you have got rid of your furs, but a paltry bouquet of violets? Sad. You’ve Changed - Heartbreaking. More of the same musical stuff here, with this odd happy orchestration. It’s Easy to Remember - But hard to get through. But Beautiful - Man this really is just so dark. Like there is nothing beautiful about this album. I feel like I’m watching somebody sing at a funeral, and they can’t make it through the songs due to crying. I’m in pain listening to this. Glad to be Unhappy - Well you’re going to LOVE this album. I’ll Be Around - I’ll be a member of the “Rounds” in seminal 2004 improvisational paintball movie “Blackballed.” That reference is only for the realest of the real. Yo my name is Clifford. The End of a Love Affair - A same sounding end to this meandering path through hell. Poorly cobbled streets guide us to the nowhere we always knew was coming. There is an element of insanity to this record. Like an old widow in a Victorian mansion being accompanied by her strange, obedient grandson. It feels like it’s out of a horror movie. It’s like somebody bought a 50’s standard karaoke album and let a heartbroken, grandmother ramble over the top. Her voice is haunting. This isn’t a criticism of a singer, but rather the composition of this record. She sounds out of her depth, and while it was emotionally poignant, it felt exploitative, rather than a direct account from the woman herself. Hold your breath; I feel like we’re about to pass a cemetery. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: I’m a Fool to Want You
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.
You hear a lifetime of musicianship, wonderful! Must have influenced the greats coming after her, like Aznavour. Also superb production. Diversity in song experience is quite poor though.
Beautiful beautiful voice. All the songs sound pretty similar and I got a bit tired of it but it's still a pleasant listen. Something quite Bondlike about a few of these. 4
Masterpiece
Talented but oh so boring
Objectively 5, groundbreaking, not for me
This is the orchestral / strings version of Billie Holiday rather than the live with a little jazz band version. It’s heartbreaking, suitable for any rom com montage and… kind of Christmassy? I can see why she’d go well with Satchmo. I do think it gets kind of samey after a while. But very lovely anyway.
Nice….
Outstanding voice, but the same string arrangement makes everything snoozy
2 songs in and I’m gonna struggle with this one. Slow songs that sound like they’ve been lifted from a Disney cartoon. If I’m not asleep by the end of it it will be a miracle.
2/3
Classic voice but all the songs sound the same.
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
There will never be another Billie Holiday.
bl
Not familiar with the orchestral-backed Billie Holliday vocals but she still rocked it. Not quite as much brass as I would’ve liked though
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.
Booooooorrrrring.
A voice that just screams "classic". It's not really my thing to listen to, but I wouldn't change the song if this came on during a holiday party. Perfect mellow background music on a quiet snowy evening
This is one tone. Start to finish. You can’t start a party with it. You can’t hit the highway and feel the wind through your hair with it. You can’t commit a murder. It’s a fine dining soundtrack I guess. If you like both of those things, this is for you
Chilled out, easy listening album with unique raspy vocals and soft melodies Highlights: - You’ve Changed - I’m a Fool to Want You - For Heaven’s Sake
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.
Simple, beautiful, to the point.
Klassisk, perfekt, for en stemme, elsk.
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.
Christmas Jazz somehow very good
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.
None of my favourite Billie Holiday songs, but obviously she's still an incredible singer.
Ella Fitzgerald is the superior vocalist. I'm actually finding her voice kind of grating. The songwriting so far is not nearly as corny as the Gershwins. I really don't understand her popularity.
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
1958 (again!) I really didn't like this. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ hell no Urghh! ★☆☆☆☆(2/10)
Magnificent voice and beautiful music.
This was sad
# 537 : Lady In Satin Zzzzz. BORED. An extremely slow old Jazz album with over 1 hour of dreariness... Makes you reconsider whether there are as many as 1,001 albums you must listen to before you die….SNORE! What to listen for: Nothing stood out Listened: 01/08/2025
Colour me ignorant but I wasn't expecting that voice
Soothing
Classic. Her voice is so full of feeling!
Classic late night vibe.
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.
Beautiful iconic voice. Not my personal taste but can’t deny her greatness
An album filled with yearning and desire. Accepting and rejecting those romantic emotions, the toss and turn of love.
The end of a painful, beautiful and soulful career. This album captures the sound of someone singing from the edge of life, with nothing left to lose. Not an everyday spin, but a clear 5/5 for me. - SC
I was moved. Never heard anything this beautiful before.
Rating: 3.5/10 Nah.
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.
I’m confident this album was remarkable in its day. It’s easy to imagine winter time NYC, leaves collected in the gutter, Sunday afternoon listening to this as a family on the turntable “furniture” popular in the 1960s. But today? This just doesn’t speak to me or my ears…surely reductive but she’s the female Louis Armstrong. I don’t see myself coming back this way. 2/5
Not my style.
It’s Billie. She is a legend. Nuf said.
Excellent
I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is but something about this album made me want to turn it off just a bit more with each passing song. Maybe how slow it was and how each song sounded too similar to the last. And I obviously know sound quality was nowhere near what it is today but I could hear the sound of her opening and closing her mouth at points, particularly noticed in the last song. I wanted to enjoy this album as I know Billie Holiday is a legend but it just didn’t do it for me.
Thank you for not overpowering your mic, Miss Holiday! A hard feat for this age, but the success really sets this album a bar above. This album is engineered so well for the time. Those trumpet solos! Songs are too slow and I'm not a fan of her vibrato, which sounds a bit too much like choking to me xD I keep expecting Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire after each string intro. The ending of But Beautiful is great. Liked this a lot more by the end than I expected. 4*.
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.
Not a big fan of the vibrato technique that she uses. Other than that... it's... fine
Billie is a legend with a voice of satin.
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.
Canciones increíbles, orquestación y arreglos maravillosos, pero sobre todo, la voz de Holiday que taladra el corazón y recuerda que por más amor que tengamos dentro de nosotros, lo más probable es que ahí se quedará y terminará convirtiéndose en lágrimas que desaparecen bajo la lluvia.
It's clear that, by 1958, Billie had definitely lost much of her vocal range. Which makes me wonder, "Why put 'Lady in Satin' on this list?" There has to be a Billie Holiday album from the 50s that could easily top this one.
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.
Classic album - beautiful songs with a beautiful voice.
Billie Holiday! Such a beautiful, iconic voice. What a lovely album, I played it twice in a row this weekend.
This woman's voice...just takes me to all the emotions. There's so much grain in it, fibrous and gritty, and then she whips it up and down from the note, but I don't find myself annoyed like when modern divas do the same - she's not showing off; she's expressing. She sounds older here, more reflective - so I Get Along Without You and I'm a Fool to Want You just hit harder, even with their schmaltzy instrumentation. You've Changed actually sounds like she's singing it from personal experience - so many songbook tunes are just rolled out for the croon: not here. There's a familiarity to the instrumentation and recording style by the end, but one gets the sense the goal was simply to capture and showcase her voice; I can forgive it becoming a little same-same. But Beautiful gives us a woman who knows love, and given the years and perspective, swoons all the same. It's a beautiful expression of the song. On Spotify, track 15 is 'the audio story' version of The End of a Love Affair in which we hear her wrestling with expression while the live musicians patiently re-run the song over and over - it's a gorgeous, honest BTS moment.
Listened to this while make a gazpacho👍
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.
Lovely voice. It did feel like I was listening to a xmas album at times, bit that’s probably just because I only listen to this kind of music around then. Either way I liked it
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.
Easy 5. Love Lady Day.
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
Vast leuk op een koude winteravond met een knapperend vuur in de haard, Maar in tegenstelling tot Ray Charles vond ik de nummers van Billie Holiday toch net iets te langzaam om er echt lekker naar te luisteren. Tussen 2-3 geef ik toch maar 2 sterren.
Beetje veel van hetzelfde, maar wel relaxte muziek voor in de ochtend
Hoewel ik het album een erg lekkere sound vind hebben, vind ik het ook allemaal te erg op elkaar lijken om er echt memorabele momenten uit te halen. Misschien dat door het UWV lastiggevallen worden de hele dag ook niet helpt met de toon zetten voor dit album dat het waarschijnlijk beter doet in een kerstvakantie.
Komt misschien door mijn auto boxen, maar het klonk mij erg veel van hetzelfde. Ook niet zo'n fan van dat ellenlange gejammer
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.
No one did it quite like Billie Holiday. A full album might be a bit too many jazz balads, but man she does them well. She emotes so well, and really draws the listener into the performance. Definitely a worthy inclusion on this list.
Such a unique voice, I could listen to her all day with the soft jazz in the back. Special singer
She's a great singer, but her music really doesn't interest me overall.
Gorgeous, sultry, vibey. There’s very little to say about Billie Holiday. If you’re in the mood for a moodier palette, an autumnal feeling, a deep maroon or a warm brown, a glass of whiskey on the rocks, Revlon Rum Raisin 535 lipstick and YSL Babycat, cigarette smoke and fur coats, baby, just listen to Billie Holiday. Any record will do. Lady in Satin is no exception. Just press play and vibe. Now, I won’t promise you’ll get a tone of variety; this is traditional vocal jazz, and while it’s executed with precision, it also has no intention of pushing boundaries. With 12 tracks and 45 long minutes, especially for the era, that lack of variety does drag this album down slightly. But again, can you really complain when you’re talking about one of the best to ever do it? Maybe there are preferable Billie Holiday records, but there’s also no wrong choice. So if Lady in Satin is my option, it’s a great option to have, and a gorgeous, sultry vibe. I’ll take as much as I can.
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
Pretty good, interesting story behind this album. Didn't realize that Holiday had such a tragic life. Her voice feels very rough and raw in this album because it was made at the end of her life.
Heartbreakingly lovely
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.
This is the sort of jazz I can appreciate. Tunes, lyrics, emotional delivery. I love Billie Holiday - I appreciate her more in smaller doses but she deserves the love.
Billie has a very distintive voice and style. I don't always like the way she emphsizes certain phrases but she definately has control over her instrument. The music is very well orchestrated and support the songs. This is not one of my favorite albums but it us definately a classic.
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 really want to fix the cover's uneven spacing in the title. I've never really understood the fascination with Lady Day's voice or her approach to singing. Her affectation is so distracting I can't get any sense of what emotion (if any) she's bringing to her songs. And the strings don't help. They swell or recede seemingly at random. She definitely has a vibe, though. I can see why her music has endured on soundtracks and in compilations. It's just not for me.
Does Billie Holiday have a good voice? That's what I kept asking myself. But she hits just right if you're sitting in a smoky cabaret or hanging home alone on a rainy afternoon.
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.
A really good album, I love Billie Holiday's voice. I liked You Don't Know What Love Is and I'm a Fool To Want You the most.
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.
Amazong voice, but the songs do blend in a little. 4/5
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.
Bless Billie Holiday. I love her music
- the thing that lots of her imitators miss is restraint. it’s the orchestration that’s going nuts, she just sits back and knows that every note is getting hit. - speaking of which, most influential singer on modern pop/indie? lots of people rn are just attempting to emulate a billie holiday tone. that girl off TikTok who does the bananys thing, Max demarco boys, everyone, etc. - incredible room reverb on backing vox (I get along v well with out u). beautiful bit where the trumpet solo comes in. lovely song - middle section is perhaps too much of one tempo and rhythm at once??? all v pretty, you’ve changed has more interesting stuff going on with the orchestral flourishes in the arrangement - glad to be unhappy feels weirdly urgent. love that it feels as if it’s about to burst apart up until that final string run - back third of the record is stunning. a lot of people get trapped, especially in the sort of sadboy/girl thing, by assuming ballads need to be purely miserable. this is playful, wistful, sweet - there’s a whole lot of life in it
Very nice.
Distinctive voice, but the songs kind of blend into one for me. Plus there are quite a lot of mouth noises picked up on the recording which I found pretty distracting. Maybe an earlier Billie Holiday album would’ve sold me on her more, who knows? But I’m giving this one a neutral 2.5 stars.
This is so sad. What a wandering journey through loss and longing. You have to be in the right mood for this, but if you are, there isn't much better. I listened to Madeleine Peyroux's album Careless Love on repeat when it came out. I knew her vocal style was very much Holliday-esque, but I never actually went back and paid heed to the original. I'm glad I've finally spent time with the Billie - I'll happily listen to more.
<>
An unfortunate swan song that could not live up to a legend's legacy
Когда я включил этот альбом, женщина, которая утверждает, что я сертифицированный сэд бой, воодушевленно воскликнула "О, Билли Холидэй" или типа того. Оказалось, что это ультимативный сэд гёрл альбом. Лучшая песня - You Don't Know What Love Is.
One of these artists you can adore but get very little out of their albums.
Classic voice. A lot of similar sounding songs.
3.5 some classic raspy american jazz?
Very slow.. Hard for me to pay attention. Good background music for a romantic date maybe.
I had just given five stars to a Ella Fitzgerald album. Because... DUH! So when I heard this I was like "is it really as good as that?" "Is there something more special in that other album that is not here?" But as I thought about it... What the heck am I even thinking? This is sofa king amazing! Holy moly! Billie Holiday is a frickin' jazz ICON. She is a GOAT among jazz singers. I could listen to this stuff all day long and probably have a better life for it! I think that some musicians, bands, singers... they go to a form of Tour De France categories. In that famous bike race all of the mountain stages are categorized from 1 to 4 by difficulty. It makes it easier for people to know when to watch and give the cyclists an idea of how hard their day will be. But, they have something called above category. When it is so steep and hard that they don't even classify it. I think people like Billie Holiday are above category. There is no point in arguing.
Nothing to note.
Cool dinner party music
It's hard for me to listen to this album and imagine what it was like when it came out. The mood, the compositions are great. I'm not a fan of Holiday's voice on this album, though. I understand that it was due to her being in her 40's after years of alcohol and drugs, and there is an element of the dark and raspy voice I like, but a whole album and even some entire songs just feel too languid and don't pull me in with a lot of the way her voice sounds. So, I thought this would be an easy 5, but I have to give it a 4, as I just think Holiday could have had a better performance, personally.
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
Nice listen but not something I see myself putting on often
5/10 - it’s old timey and fits that vibe but it’s not my favorite because of that
These songs all sound the same but my mom liked Billie Holliday a lot so I heard a lot of her growing up which means I enjoyed listening
KARANJEEEE
She is undeniably talented. This style doesn’t really do it for me, but her skill takes it far regardless.
Wonderful arrangements. Her embellishments are artful
Just not my thing. I could see it being my grandma's thing.... just.... not mine.
Albums like this one are why I love this project. Of course, I’ve heard of Billie Holiday, but I’ve never listened. This is absolutely beautiful - something I’d play at nice dinner party. Classy and timeless. Pure.
Class, class in a champagne glass
I found this more palatable than other selections of this ilk, but it's still just *a singer singing songs* to me. I get why people like this stuff, I'm just into the whole creative process rather than someone having a great voice...
Captivating voice. It does feel like a collection of singles instead of an album.
beautiful voice. lot of the same. probably wouldn't listen again
Zuviele Instrumente, sogar Streicher... ansonsten mag ich BH sehr.
Not a huge fan of vocal jazz. Less so from the 50’s. Billie is deservedly a highly acclaimed vocalist, but this album is not the best example in my opinion.
I liked this album. 6/10 Favourite track - I’ll be around
I really wish I could enjoy this type of music but to me it all sounds the same and gets boring eventually. Her voice is beautiful though.
her voice manages to both heal me and stab me 43 times and thats why she is an icon
Nicht wirklich meins. Fand es eher langweilig.
Спокойные 50е для вечернего коктейля
I understand that this is one of those names that supposed to be untouchable in music history, but I just don't get it. I don't think her voice is all that great, I'd take some of her contemporaries like Sarah Vaughn or Ella Fitzgerald hands down, and the music is just dry. Maybe it's one of those things that you just have to tip your cap to because you're listening 60 years after the fact and can't quite understand what it was like at the time, but I can't get there.
Några sköna låtar men allt är så tradigt och tråkigt. Fullt sjå att hålla sig vaken.
Mojave: The Album.
It's okay, but a little too background-y for me to have a strong opinion on it.
p38. 1958. 3 stars. Wonderful voice and inflection, let down by substandard material and syrupy arrangements. Not her best work, but a good introduction to the talent.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to for an album from such a long time ago. It’s actually pretty good and you can see how influential it was for many artists.
I can't listen to her without thinking of David Sedaris. her voice is definitely one of a kind. I want her to get a little more excited? feels very languid. but Not bad.
Billie Holiday, what is not to like. Incredible lady, incredible talent. A nice Sunday afternoon listen around the house. Highly recommended.
Elokuvamaista tunnelmaa kokkailun taustalle
no disrespect to billie but i just can't get into it
Having not heard much of Billie Holiday before, she certainly has a signature voice. Almost Louie Armstrong-like in a way, but in female form. Reading up more on the album tells me that this was released pretty late in her career, and her voice had changed (for better or worse) after years of alcohol and drug abuse. I can see how her voice would turn many off from this album's listening experience. The rhythmic phrasing is definitely there, so I can see why Holiday is a revered jazz vocalist. As for the content itself, everything felt a bit...samey? I guess that's more of a product of its time, as love was generally the singular theme for these sorts of slower, vocal jazz pieces. Hardly any of these 12 songs felt that distinctive from one another, I hate to say. This just makes me a tad bit curious to listen to Holiday's previous work, though.
Not really my bag not stood the test of time however appreciate the voice and the musicianship.
3/5 pretty good
definitely an album that should only be listened to on vinyl or heard live in a smoky bar after getting your heart broken
Stunning voice and melodies. She knows how to sing.
I'm a Fool to Want You sets the tone for this very melancholy album. It's an end-of-career album from a great singer who has lived a hard life.
Possibly the best storyteller through song there ever was. Nobody made heartbreak sound more real, more heavy, more beautiful than her. And she had a range of like four notes! It’s incredible.
Songs were boring. I didn’t really like her voice.
Stunning, wrap me in fur and put me in a field
I remember when Len Houmous pitched a TV show in 1971. It was a travel show ‘Billie Holiday’s’…..he proposed Billie Holiday presented it! He didn’t realise she died in 59. How embarrassing! 2.8
Just some classy vocal jazz.
Nobody can compete with the way she delivered a lyric.
I've never listened to a full project of hers before and I love it! Especially hearing the behind the scenes of the recording? It was so nice
wat een leven heeft deze vrouw gehad zeg
Bit same same
Pretty sure this is an important record, but I just can't stand this kind of orchestral singing Jazz.
Sad, sad, sad.
I'm sure this is great.
Every song sounds the same and there are only slow tunes. No variation on the orchestral arrangements. And I don't like jazz at all. She sing really good though but it gets tiring after a while. I'll probably won't go back to listen this. The score is only based on my personal taste. She's not bad at all.
pristojno, na trenutke jako lijepo, ali više-manje svaka pjesma jako nalikuje ostalima. glas mi ne sjeda :/
Background music for a (dinner) party when you don't want to offend anyone. Also you don't want anyone to pay attention to the music.
What's slower than the average funeral dirge? Singing in the 50s
4/10 Music I can't relate to, so it's hard to give it a decent score. It's just so syrupy-thick. Maybe if I were to hold a dinner party and invite some mid 20th century intellectuals, this could play low in the background, smothered by the smoke from our cigars. I find it hard to grasp how raw emotion can be conveyed by such bland music, but what do I know. I was glad when it finished.
Day 1,016: I’m tired, boss.
Too slow. Gives off Olive Garden vibes
Good album, good music. I know Billie Holiday has phenomenal vocal skills but I am not a HUGE fan of her voice. I enjoyed the listen though.
Das Album Lady In Satin wurde 1957 in den Columbia 30th Street Studios in New York City aufgenommen. Die Interpretin Billie Holiday war US-amerikanische Jazzsängerin mit einer langen Karriere, die bereits in den 1930er Jahren begann. Begleitet vom Ray Ellis Orchestra, zeigt das Album eine späte Phase ihres musikalischen Schaffens. Zu den besonders bekannten Titeln zählen „I'm a Fool to Want You“, „You’ve Changed“ und „For All We Know“. Die Arrangements sind orchestral gehalten, mit Streichern und sanfter Begleitung, was einen Kontrast zu früheren Aufnahmen mit kleinerer Besetzung bildet. Das Album gehört stilistisch zum Vocal Jazz und trägt deutlich die Handschrift von Holiday, deren Stimme hier brüchiger und rauer klingt als in früheren Jahren. Lady In Satin gilt als ein Werk, das weniger durch technische Perfektion als vielmehr durch Ausdruckskraft geprägt ist. Es dokumentiert eindrücklich die späte künstlerische Phase einer der prägenden Stimmen des 20. Jahrhunderts.
3.1 Billie obviously has a terrific voice and and Ive never listened to this album before. It was interesting to hear her vocals sounding a bit weathered. I thought the orchestra was loud in the mix
I get this is considered a great album, but I really don't like it much.
It was good. Billie has a beautiful voice and her accompaniment was great too. Just not my thing, but to each their own.
I think albums like this from way went for my an atmosphere then working each song in particular, pleasant and well preformed 3.5*
No one has a voice like Billie: raspy but elegant; melodic but personal. She lived a hard life and the struggle comes through in her music. I can’t say that I had a favorite song on this album, but I respected the album as a collective unit. This is not dinner-with-the-fam or play-at-a-party kinda album. Instead, it’s more of a headphones in a dark room with a glass of Merlot or whiskey and let the day melt away album. It’s a classic.
Random thoughts: * This was pleasant to my ears. I liked the trombone solos throughout. * I swear if you played me random 15 second clips of any of the songs I wouldn't be able to distinguish or name them. * I honestly couldn't tell you any of Billie Holiday's top songs. But somehow I know the name automatically and know she is a famous singer. How did she permeate culture without people knowing the art? * I read about Billie Holiday and especially the end of her life. So sad. Drugs and alcohol. Seemed like she was revered though by other musicians.
Mellifluous, if somewhat one-paced. Kind of like a sister record to Sinatra's 'In the wee small hours'.
How this record fits in the context of Billie Holiday's legacy is noteworthy, but this album didn't do all that much for me on just the merits of what was recorded
Épico
Classic. Perfect for relaxing with a drink.
I always love to hear Billie Holiday sing.