Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Det lød godt og hun har en fantastisk stemme, men jeg synes godt nok at sangene blendede sammen
I wonder if I can break the keyword system. meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
Her voice is beautiful but the instrumentation doesn't do much for me. Also, something about the slow tempo throughout made the individual songs hard to distinguish.
Would be amazing if I were sitting in a smoke lounge in 1958 listening to her soulful singing but I am not. Saturday morning sitting in the sun room with a coffee and this just isn't doing it. Really boring and it all blends together. Sorry lady in Satin.
Legendary voice
прочитал, что это последний ее прижизненный альбом и голос к этому моменту уже потерял свою магию. соглашусь, пожалуй
Beautiful voice but just sounded the same throughout the album
didnt know I needed this many songs about fools in love. Can't tell if i super love or super don't love her voice. giving me super Dorothy vibes
I recognise Billie Holiday's talent, and think Strange Fruit is a fantastic song. However I found it hard to connect with this album for some reason. The only songs that stood out for me were I'm a Fool To Want You, You Don't Know What Love Is, and You've Changed. I often find it hard to connect with music pre-1965 or so (except for instrumentals), so it could be another case of that. She had an amazing voice, but I found that the songs were too similar or something.
I am not one for an entire album of Billie Holiday at a time, but there are some standout tracks that I like in more varied playlists
I dunno, very same same for me
Man this sounds dated. I'm sure it must have been a revelation back in the day, but I'm struggling to look past the vignette.
Really dull
It’s the same song repeated 12 times. If you start at the beginning, listen to 10 seconds, skip to the middle, listen to 10 seconds, and then skip to the end, listen to 10 seconds, it sounds exactly the same. She has an interesting voice, I guess, kind of like a frog that has been smoking it’s entire life. If you are nostalgic for this era of music there has got to be a better fix. 3/10
It was likely brilliant for its time but what a dreary album, her voice is sounds like she’d smoked a few too many or she had a terrible chest infection. Enjoyed the first few songs but it got boring really quick and I could’ve done with 3 versions of the opening song. Would love to comment on the audio story song but after 30 seconds of what I can only imagine would’ve been the longest 9 minutes of my life, I had to skip it. I’d love to say more about this album but it was very unforgettable
Listening to an album this dated obviously requires you to try and appreciate it a little bit for what it would have been 70 or so years ago. I also have to factor in that my appreciation or understanding of jazz and blues music, is probably a bit stunted to say the least. All that being said, and I'm talking about this album specifically now, but Billie Holiday quite clearly had dementia. Every single song on the album was about the same thing, Billie, in whatever fossilsed form she was in when recording this album, just sang in simple circles for over an hour, basically saying the same things, over and over and over. I just hope you can't catch this version of dementia, but time will tell. The music in parts in undeniably nice, the yawning, gentle violins, the wind instruments and initially, the croaky, smokey voice that accompanied them. The novelty does wear off quite quickly however- and you're left with essentially the same tune for basically the whole album, trapped in this early Disney sounding loop, with this slow, sleepy, often melancholic, alzheimic singing to accompany it. It's what I would imagine Louis Armstrong's hemorrhoids would have sounded like if they could sing. You can immediately hear the influence Billie had on the likes of Amy Winehouse, and it's probably fair to say someone like Billie as a musician had to walk (around in circles), so someone like Amy could run (right over a cliff and off the rails). All in all a 2/5, it's not for me, and outside of not liking or understanding jazz to any great depth, I still thought it was quite shit. I just hope you can't catch this version of dementia, but time will tell.
Κατι που σιγουρα δεν θα ξανακουσω ξανα.
I didn’t finish this one. It was incredibly boring. What a snooze.
Mindbreakingly boring. It even drove a guy that never rated anything lower than a 3 ("I LIVE INSIDE YOUR WALLS" one) insane
'Strange Fruit' is incredible and she is much loved and respected so I had high hopes. This reminded me of 'In The Wee Small Hours' but I didn't like it as much, no real connection. Oh well, on to the next one :)
Not unpleasant to listen to but sooo booooooooooring. I wasn’t keen on her voice either.
De vacaciones me voy a ir yo para no escuchar esto
Pfoeeee, dit is echt een ontzettend oud album volgens mij. Waar andere oudere soulalbums nog wel wat swingender zijn, hoor je hier echt dat het oud is. Ik ben eerlijk gezegd ook niet de allergrootste fan van Billie's stem. Eigenlijk vind ik dit album een beetje saai. Ik weet het, dit is heiligsschennis want Billie Holiday is een gigantische naam, maar het is wel de waarheid. Dit zou precies zijn wat ik leuk vind, want het is jazz/soul. Maar ik vind het gewoon saai. Muzikaal gebeurt er eigenlijk vrijwel niets, met af en toe een saxofoon die ik dan wel weer meteen heel fiin vind. En dus de stem van Billie die me gewoon niet zo veel doet. Dit word denk ik gewoon een 2, puur omdat ik het saai vind, ik vind het verder niet slecht ofzo. FAVO: I'm a fool to want you, I get along without you very well,
Shes obviously a very good singer. I just find it really boring
Vocal jazz - one of these albums that are fully justified for being included on the list, but are just a little too boring.
Obviously a lot of talent, but I was really bored during this. Not for me at all.
It feels almost wrong to say this, but I just don't care for Lady In Satin. In particular, I don't care for Billie Holiday's voice. The tone and delivery grates on me. Also, every song sounds the same. She's a legendary musician, but she doesn't appeal to me at all.
Good singing, production, and compositions. However vocal jazz is just not my jam.
Albumi #62, 28.09.2024 Käheä-äänisen jazz-laulajatarlegendan viimeinen julkaistu albumi hänen elinaikanaan vuodelta 1958. Hienostuneita jazz-balladeita, mutta ei kovin kiinnostavaa musiikkia omaan makuuni.
Nice enough but just not my genre.
I just don't get on with her voice I'm afraid
Her voice is amazing. The music is mellow. But lordy it is samey, unengaging and pedestrian. I want to love it, but I just can't.
Weird, I get that she’s got pipes but it really didn’t do anything for me at all. Disappointed to say the least.
Listened to it in a hot tub, didn't I. That improved it somewhat, but ultimately it was still someone with an absolutely world class voice singing songs that sound like a Disney princess should be singing them.
These songs all sound the same.
She's got a lovely voice, sure. It's just not doing anything that interests me, unfortunately. Getting this one the day after Nina Simone is possibly doing her a disservice as I feel similarly about both, but it's not a genre I enjoy listening to a lot.
Holy crap this is so annoying and bland and repetitive.
A bit of a snoozefest! The orchestra was pleasant and Billie is talented, just not really my jam.
Okay
In principe sta ik vrij positief tegenover dit soort muziek, laat maar komen die jazz uit de ouwe doos. En dit is dan 'de' Billie Holiday. Maar die schraapstem! Ik kan er niet aan wennen. Neem eens een dropje, en stop eens met roken, denk je dan.
Lidt langt, lidt kedeligt. Hør bedre af andre.
Hun synger da okay godt. Ikke sådan at det rører mig, og det gør musikken slet ikke. Den er nærmest så enslydende at jeg ikke opdagede hvornår et nummer sluttede, og et nyt begyndte. Strygerne minder om musik fra 50er film (duh!) eller tidlige disney film (hvilket vel lidt er det samme). Det kan være udemærket som baggrunds musik, men jeg bliver ikke fænget af det.
I don’t dislike Billie Holiday by any means, but I do have to give this a low rating because it made me suicidal.
Aight
She has a nice voice, the arrangements are smooth, simple and do well to compliment Holiday's vocals. From what I am to understand, this album is sort of a swan song for her as she was withering away from alcohol and drug abuse which certainly adds an emotional undertone to some of the lyricism and music. The album itself probably goes on for a tad bit too long but it does manage to be a relaxing listen. Having said all that though, personally, this album just doesn't really do much for me, as smooth and relaxing as it is. I'm probably just not into vocal jazz enough to fully appreciate it.
Very textured voice, but every song sounded the same. I didn't realize I was on the fifth song until I looked - it could have been the second or the seventh. I know there are better Billie Holiday albums out there.
Idk why they went with this one for Billie. Shes still amazing tho
I was really enjoying having this album on in the background, right up until the last half hour of the album is the same song over and over. I’d definitely listen to this again for background music, but just the first half. Billie Holiday is a massively important artist but as an album, it just doesn’t hold up.
I feel like I'm missing something, because I really don't understand the hype for this album. I don't really like her voice. She's a decent singer, but I wouldn't say great. The orchestra is good, but nothing new is happening. Overall I found this fairly boring tbh.
Peaceful to listen to but not my thing
This was not a good listen for me. The 'legend' of Billie Holiday is huge, but at least on this recording it didn't come through for me. There were a few places were I found he voice pleasing but we're talking seconds out of this entire album. The 'bonus' material at the end was hard to listen to. I think in general I don't love this style of 'crooner' jazz from the 40's/50's and also I think Billie's voice and body (and life) were just wrecked at this point. It's a sad and somewhat inspiring story but not enough to make the music pleasant haha.
It's always a bit difficult to rate albums pre-1960s because at those times albums were mostly about throwing songs together and they still didn't have concept of albums that came later. Billie Holiday's album a year before her death shows her really great singing once again. It's a melodic and slow album, however the songs blend together too much, and they sound quite the same. The music accompanies the singing just well but it's all too sugary for my taste. I think I'd love this smooth jazz music in a small dose but to listen to the album in its entirety is a bit too much. I'd give for the singing a high mark but as a whole, it's just average. 2.5/5.
Honestly kind of mid. I had high hopes and her voice is great, of course, but the music is boring and the album drags.
The songs on this album all sound the same. Beautiful voice, but I’m sure there are better albums that showcase Billie Holiday than this. 2/5
Late 1950s jazz with an orchestra. Even though her voice was not at its best by the time she recorded this, her penultimate, album, there's no doubting that she had an amazing voice. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of this style of music and find it boring.
I feel bad giving this such a low rating but it really doesn't do it for me; background music.
“With no mammy and no pappy … I’m so unhappy … but I’m so glad.” OK, Billie.
not for me, her voice irritates me.
Found this quite boring. Considering that this is mainly about the vocals, she can't even sing that well IMO I guess this is a consequence of me not listening to Billie Holiday before and therefore not being a fan of her work before her voice declined. Judging by this album though I do not get the appeal
Pretty, I guess. Not a lot else.
This was fine! but unfortunately a little boring.
A very skilled vocalist vocalist with a terrific voice singing songs I would never listen to.
uskomaton elämäntarina...incredible nainen... drug hörhö.. paska albumi gg... huoh njoo 50 luku populaari jazz struktuuri (so boring omg.. so boring(ei ole... ei ole pakko olla)) kiinnostavampaa olisi kuulla aikaisemmasta aikakaudesta kulla henkilön ääntä, vanha akka kuitenkin... (hagravenesque) suurennettu, pyhitetty.... ole pyhä nimi....kurjattu, ristiinnaulittu, ihmisen kehyksessä....miljoona kynttilää palamassa, siitä avusta, jota ei koskaan tullut .... haluat tummemman.... im a fool to want you
These arrangements are not suited to her voice or style.
It was all fine. But none of the songs really captured my attention. Sure has a unique voice that I don't really love. Probably because I didn't grow up listening to her, so I don't really feel nostalgia on her sound
- why does she sing like that, it’s kinda annoying - otherwise she makes very beautiful music
I usually love this kind of music; this cannot be Billie Holiday's best work. I see that it was recorded at the end of her career, perhaps that explains it. Really wanted to like this too.
Welcome to the 1950s! We have music! You won't remember 90% of it but trust me it's there!
Respect to Billie but this isn’t for me. I was bored. It wasn’t bad but it gave me the same feeling I get watching movies from the 50’s. Probably great for the time, but we have moved way past this.
Nothing interesting. Hard to get through
I feel like this album was not one of Billie Holiday's best. Her voice wasn't as smooth as it once was (which maybe sounds better to some people), but more importantly I felt every song was the same slow drawn out melancholy sound. Its a good sound but I got over it after seven songs.
I wanted to like this, but I just don’t. Every song sounded exactly the same to me. With a little Wikipedia research, I found out that this is later in her career when she had some drug/health problems. Makes sense.
Hard to see why she's so renowned. Her voice is akin to a Disney character. Sure it's unique but how is it enjoyable?
Do not like
I was going to say “unpopular opinion” but reading the reviews it looks like it is the consensus. This album is boring - I agree with the comment about the orchestrations sounding like old Disney movies. I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt and say that these songs do nothing for her voice. They are all in one range, and I feel you could swap the backing music from each track and no one would notice.
This seemed more about the orchestra than Billie Holiday. I think they pair well together, but there’s very little variation throughout the album. 2 stars probably doesn’t do the talent justice.
Kind of depressing, broken voice singing some samey songs that get boring fast. It wasn't horrible, but I would never go out of my way to listen to this again.
Hieno laulaja, mutta vähän liian toisteinen levy. Tylsäksi kävi. Eikä tää samalla tavalla itseä lumoa kuin Ella F. Uskon silti, että eläkkeellä tulen tykkäämään.
Her next to last album recorded. The last one released in her lifetime. Well past her prime- she sounds very sick. 😞 2 stars
One long crying song with Disney animals everywhere
I like Billie Holiday, but in small doses. A whole album was just too much for me.
Beetje saai
I like the music, could be from an old film. But her voice is grating and it ruins it for me. Apparently she was past her best here - I would like to listen to something older.
She's a legend, and even though I love junkie musicians, I can't get down with Billie. The songs are nice, but the contrast with her voice in later years is more sad than anything else. 2.7
I swear all albums before 1960 sound like Christmas music even if they have nothing to do with the holidays
I have a couple main issues with this album. The biggest one is Billie Holiday's singing style. She has a nice voice but she embellishes her long notes with this high pitched falsetto. As if she's using a whammy bar for her singing. Which can be an interesting touch but it's so overused it is like nails on a chalkboard for me. She clearly has masterful control of her voice I just don't like the way it sounds. The second issue is the pacing. The pacing is slow and steady. As a result it really drags on and every song sounds the same. The biggest redeeming quality about this album is the band. If you were to take the instrumentals only I feel like it could pass for a lot of film soundtracks. It's elegant, whimsical, and the only thing bringing this album up from a 1 to a 2 for me.
I get that this album is famous and all that, but her voice is gross here. Ravaged and weak, and shaky and sick. Nope nope nope.
All of the songs are very similar
Jag skulle gärna vilja vara en person som älskar Billie Holiday. Inte minst för att jag då skulle kunna säga att kag är en person som älskar Billie Holiday till andra. Men tyvärr. Efter ett tag stör jag mig satan på hennes röst. Det finns ett knarr på slutet av alla långa toner som med lite god vilja skulle kunna beskrivas som ett vibrato. Jag tycker dock att det låter för jävligt. Blir faktiskt lite ledsen över att jag inte gillar detta. Men jag kan ju inte låtsas för sakens skull.
Alla låtar låter faktiskt exakt likadana. Detta är ett album med en låt. Passar perfekt som filmmusik. En "kritik" som vi använt många gånger nu. Men om det är så här enformigt, men inte nödvändigtvis asdåligt, så är helheten inte bra. Och med bra så är det alltså bra som filmmusik. Älskar rösten, men det räcker inte.
Ein interessante Stimme aber leider begeisterter mich der Mix aus Jazz, Blues und Swing nicht.aLeider kein spektakulärer Titel aber auch für den nicht Jazz Fan nett zu hören als Hintergrund für einen schönen Bar-Abend.
Kinda boring and safe. Didnt like Billies voice as well. Wasnt particularly jazzy as well. I dont wanna sound like an elitist, but this is like jazz for beginners. Overall quite mediocre, but at least it reminded me of Unforgettable from Nat King Cole. Go listen to that album instead, its a lot more soulful. Significant 30/86 Liked 14/86 Added 4/86 NNN Previous one is also NNN
Nice background music perhaps when with family or the rare occasion when I feel like listening to very slow stuff but not my cup of tea really.
not rly my style
Man the music is pretty, but just feels so “everything from this era.” Her voice is warbly and weak sounding. A tough listen.
Classic sounding soul-jazz type stuff
Great voice. But not for me this
There is a soulful voice. There are expansive arrangements. It just feels flat. An individual song might feel arresting on the radio but as a collection each just melds into the next.
I normally love 50's-60's jazz. And while these songs fundamentally are very good, and Billie Holiday has a good voice, I cannot really get myself to enjoy her personal singing style.
2/5. Holiday's voice is so unique and soothing, an album of slow ballads about heartbreak and loss, feels so sad to listen to. About halfway through the album, I was mostly done with it and I was no longer sad, just kind of bored. It's good, and a few songs here and there are enjoyable but a whole album is hard to listen to.
Nope..
boring
Nice, but I wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
Feels like a classic soul/R&B? album. Beautiful voice, lyrics all addressing love and relationships. No songs that stuck out to me on first listen, not something I would go back to, but appreciated it all the same. 2/5
"Thank you, we're the Cantina Band, if you have any requests, shout'em out." "Play that same song." "Alright, same song! Here we go!" Verily, I am not qualified to rate this album.
I did not care for this album her voice to me was nails on a chalkboard.
I still don’t get why everybody says if you like Avenged Sevenfold, you’re gonna love Billie Holiday. I don’t really hear it. I am a huge Tool fan and everybody says Maynard is basically Billie Holiday. “oh, you like Simon and Garfunkel?” they say. Wait till you hear Billie and Holiday!” if I had a nickel for every time, I have heard her compared to Slayer, I’d be a freaking millionaire. Something must be wrong with me, I just don’t hear it.
2/5 Best: For Heaven's Sake Worst: You Don't Know What Love Is
Albumet är gammalt men soundet håller ändå till viss del. Problemet jag har är att det inte finns nån bredd. Varje låt låter i princip likadana. Dessutom älskar jag inte sångrösten. Kan dock inte kalla de för dålig musik.
Listening to BH sing is enjoyable. But the orchestra is almost entirely unlistenable.
Just not my genre
Dit valt me toch wat tegen. Klinkt bijna allemaal hetzelfde
🥱
Dit doet me echt helemaal niets en het klinkt voor mij ook allemaal hetzelfde. Sorry voor het omver trappen van dit heilige huisje.
the music is great, but every song sounds the same! i mean a song could have been playing on repeat and i wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
It was ok.
It’s cute and a bit sleepy. She has a beautiful voice that is very soothing. The album was all very much the same thing though, which for an hour, is a too much.
Was looking forward to this but was same as the later music by marlene dietrich when compared to her first German songs: the music/orchestra is so sweet and smooth that it smothers the force of her voice, it is all toothpaste commercial, all danger is elinated, smile, smile, smile. Such a shame.2 stars only for this lady Day!
Es EXTREMADAMENTE monótono. Creo que es el álbum más plano que he escuchado hasta ahora. Ya quería que me saliera un álbum de pop tradicional, pues, hasta ahora, solo conozco las canciones más populares, pero no tenía ni idea de álbumes, lamentablemente, espero que haya otros mejores, porque lo único que me dejo este es que ahora jamás me voy a equivocar cuando quiera identificar la voz de Billie Holiday, pues cantaba exactamente igual canción tras canción. Le doy dos porque, al menos, es escuchable, solo no más de una vez.
I think this would be nice in the background on Christmas. Unfortunately today is not Christmas
Wasn't my morning for this album. Feels like her voice was losing some strength and the richness it had. Pleasant enough but I don't know whether decent singer knocking out another album of covers is good enough to rate highly.
Great voice. Feel like the instrumentation on each song sounds the same.
Was having a bad day and this didn’t make it any better - an hour of the same instrumentals repeated and barely recontextualized again and again, plus Holiday’s monotonous and often croaky vocals on top. Just plain boring and a waste of my time
Pas mal toute la même chanson étirée sur l’album, trop triste pour mon mood, pas de highlight special à part que la mélodie reste forte de bout à bout
It’s not doing much for me. I’m not a fan of her tone and as she didn’t write any of these songs I don’t really know what else I can judge it on? It’s not unpleasant so we’ll go with a 2
Not for me. I like the arrangement but the voice sounded like Liza Minnelli and I couldn't get past that fact
I like the vibe, but not the voice. It’s alright I guess. Kelsey liked this one.
Agree this album probably should be on the list, but I’m really not a fan of Billie Holiday’s voice on this album, so not an enjoyable album for me or one I’ll come back to.
Lovely music but VERY one faceted. I wish there had been more variety and while Billie's voice remains soulful and haunting, I was shocked how rough her wonderful voice sounds on this album. How I wish I had enjoyed this more as she deserves a much higher rating than this album brings
I didn't care for this. It was boring and the vocals really didn't sound all that good. Every song was the same.
Billie Holiday is a lovely singer. This album however is so one dimensional it gets very boring very fast. I wish it had more pizzazz, more tempo changes, more….something.
This is a Christmas music type beat. Very smooth, but boring. Made me feel sleepy.
Dit moet al ouderwets geklonken hebben toen het uit kwam. Not for me
Oke jazz album, de mevrouw heeft blijkbaar heel veel invloed gehad op jazz.
Sateen, more like
Old folks‘ dinner party
I wasn't into this, unfortunately. It was too slow, and I don't like Billie's warble. 1.5/5
Not a great album. Billie Holiday is a fantastic singer but syrupy arrangements and her later-life, cracking voice doesn't work on this disc. Those additional unfinished takes do her no favours either. Made me go back and listen to the Columbia collections. Much more enjoyable.
Very mopey. I don't think I'd listen to it again. Very emotional, but not the emotions that I want rattling around my head I guess. I do want to like it though.
Not my cup of tea.
Oof, no disrespect to the queen but this was a complete snooze. Glad to be Unhappy was good.
Too dull for me
In her most depressing album, Billie Holiday has an aging raspy voice that has its limitations but fits with the slow dramatic orchestral ensemble. In a lot of ways reminds me of Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours. It gets old and repetitive quickly, and it was hard for me to even pick any of them to be my favorite... or even least favorite. The orchestra was a tad bit generic, but it complimented her somber style well, and they had their moments. The wind instruments especially stood out. As individual songs, they're good. But as an album experience, it's quite a chore. Favorites: I'm a Fool to Want You, For Heaven's Sake, But Beautiful
🌞 favourite song: I'm a Fool to Want You 🌜 least favourite song: The End of a Love Affair Already a big Billie Holiday fan so I thought I might be biased about it. Her voice is very different in her later recordings—and it makes this album sound very sad. She was so beautiful 💗 and so talented. But, this is definitely not her best work, and it's very obvious. ✨2.5/5💫
I didn't love her voice on this album. A lot of the songs sounded the same.
Not my thing. Nice voice. All songs sound the same or go too long.
It was nice for sure, but it's just so far from anything I'd ever listen to, that it's difficult to really say anything good about it. I'm certainly not cultured enough to understand the significance, but I'm sure it deserves the spot on this list. Favourite: You Don't Know What Love Is
Surprised, good listen
Incredible talent but just not my favorite style of music. Feel bad giving this rating
It's alright
Sama kappale kertaa 16. Kaunista musiikkia anyways vaikka outo ääni
Not my cup of tea
Album #204 (1001 challenge): "Lady in Satin" by Billie Holiday (1958) "Lady in Satin" is the penultimate album and the last one released in the lifetime of American jazz singer Billie Holiday. The album was produced by Irving Townsend and first after Billie signed a contract with Columbia. Similar to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, Billie wanted to record songs from the Great American Songbook of Claasic Pop in the same orchestral arrangements vein as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald (as opposed to jazz). So, that's what she did. Boy, I've heard a lot of the Great American Songobbok this week. Ray Ellis did the arrangements with a 40-piece orchestra. This was at the very end of Billie's career and her voice had a lot of its range. But, she still has the emotion which shown through. The album begins with a cover of Sinatra's "I'm a Fool to Want You." Great orchestral strings. Sure, Billie now has a fairly raspy voice but the emotion is there. The strings and especially the trumpet are great on 1938 Hoagy Carmichel's "I Get Along Without You Very Well." The excellent orchestral arrangements and Billie's emotional continue throughout all 11 songs. Other highlights include "You've Changed," " Glad to Be Happy" and "I'll Be Around." This album was enjoyable to listen to. I know Billie's voice is not what it was 20 years prior but the orchestral arrangements are excellent and Billie's delivery and emotion are still worth checking this album out.
This album lacks depth. The only thing it has going for it is the voice; but the lyrics are shallow, and the accompanying music is all but non existent.
Well just sounded old it's all the bloody strings that ruin these crooner vibes
Disappointing, I was expecting better than this
its ok, but its pretty much the same song 12 times. makes for alright background music
I didn’t impress me
Not really my cup of tea. Let's leave it at that shall we.
Good voice and that, but it's just a bit grating by the end.
I prefer her earlier work
There’s a classy eloquence to this album, a reminder of how things used to be (musically). But that said, Billie Holiday’s voice reminded me of Lady Elaine Fairchild, and her voice and “grittiness” didn’t translate to a sound that I wanted to hear over the course of this album. But I appreciated the opportunity to relax a little and have a jazzy evening for a change of pace.
Somewhat of a christmas vibe.
Makes me sleepy.
Lovely, but not my cup of tea
I wanted to like this. I really did. However, subjectivity leads me to not really care for vocal jazz at all. I recognize the struggles she had at the time and everything she overcame, but just in this album alone, it is just not for me. The songs are too similar and the instrumentation, while enjoyable, is repetitive. It’s likely just a product of it’s time. 2.5/5
There is some great classic instrumentation on this. The trumpet on 'But Beautiful' really is beautiful and haunting. With that said, I found the entire thing to be quite dull. Although her voice is magnificent and the arrangements are very pleasant, it tends to fade into the background. I was reminded of Nat King Cole's Christmas record, but unlike that I can't really think of an occasion to ever put this on.
Considering the fact that Billie Holiday's take on "Gloomy Sunday" was so depressing that it was once banned for decades on BBC, I am not surprised that this record didn't exactly lighten the mood. At the age of only 43 it's remarkable that her voice sounds like it has already lived a full life - and then some. It's not as vibrant as in earlier recordings and while Ray Ellis (and his Orchestra) provides a beautiful tapestry Holiday paints almost every song with the exact same emotions as the ones before and sticks to the same vocal formula through every song. The end result, beautiful and emotional as it surely is, simply isn't enough to keep me invested.
while i understand that this is good music i cant help but falling asleep listening to it. it is too boring for me.
Not exactly my genre
Her voice sounds weak - almost to a point of distraction. The songs sound old fashioned and sleepy -- like the songs that we only listen to during Christmas. This music isn't really my thing.
only stood out for being old vocals didnt have much of an impact
I've never cared for Billie's voice
Every song sounds the same and there is no jam
Not really keen on this one. The instrumentation is extremely uninspired and frankly dated, to such an extent that the initial intrigue of Holiday’s singular vocal is quickly diminished. Her talent is inescapable, but the songs just ain’t here on this album.
Im sure this is a great album for this genre and influential, I didnt really enjoy it 3/10
Billie is a legend no doubt. But like dang, did she ever have a frog in her throat! I listened the whole way through and there just wasn’t enough variety throughout. Bit of a snoozer this one.
Not my favourite recording/production of Billie Holiday. From my understanding her voice wasn't quite what it was at one point on this recording unsure if that's it or just the production. I definitely prefer other recordings/records of Holiday.
Yep, it is amazing, but so covered in sugary instrumentation and sentiment that I nearly got diabetes listening to it
Every single track completely indistinguishable from the next. And her voice is, to be kind, not for me.
Never really a Billie Holiday fan and on this album she sounds more like 73 than 43.
A little boring. I had a hard time getting used to her voice.
This was a tough one to get through. I understand how some people find her voice amazing, but I found the overall album fairly boring.
Probably a pretty good piece of music - but to slow and boring for me. Every song sounds the same to me.
Ładny głos i tak dalej, ale rany, wszystko brzmi tak samo. Typowy soundtrack do romansidła jak sobie łażą po Paryżu i się kochają. Dać 1 w swojej skali nie mogę, bo to nie była jakaś kakofonia, zwyczajna nuda i pierd muzyczny
Probably a little too early for my taste in music. I found this album a bit slow and dull. I didn’t think it was bad, it just want an album I’d listen to. 4.0/10
Lovely voice and I can appreciate the songs, but just too slow and boring for me.
Lmao at what the dude said about the uncultured swine. I'll give it a 2 because it's objectively beautiful but yeah, not for me. 2
don’t like her voice
I thought I liked Billie Holiday more than this. It's okay, and it does feel like I'm listening to something important, something that should be heard. Her voice is really strange though. I think the problem might be the songs on this album, they're all very light and I like her when she's all intense and emotional.
Doesn’t do it for me
Sadly this album reminds me a bit of a creepy restaurant I worked at that hardly anyone ever visited. One night chef didn't have the ingredients for orange chicken so he used hot concentrated OJ, the kind you get in a carton. So I associate this kind of music with a grey haired old woman with a tight perm thrusting a plate of shredded chicken floating in orange juice at me in disgust. There was no fooling her! Billie's soothing notes did nothing to diffuse the situation.
2/5 nope, couldn't finish it
Her voice is nice and all but the music is *really* dull. I walked away from my PC at one point and when I came back a couple of minutes later I genuinely had no idea whether it was the same song or the next one, that's how much they all sound the same
Lovely voice, but fairly boring album. Lots of songs sound very similar
Not a big fan of jazz. I like the sounds, the instrumental. Her voice sounds at some pointsa bit moany if yknow what i mean; not in a bad way, just kinda irritating. Lots of the songs sound similar.
I assume that in the 50’s this orchestral jazz would be considered pop to appeal to the masses. Personally I find that every song sounds the same and I prefer the more edgy sound of the Be-bop or Hard bop era. Holiday’s voice is also an acquired taste, and apparently I haven’t acquired it yet.
inte min påse så att säg
2.5/5 She has something in her voice that makes you want to listen. It’s not my favourite style and genre, but still enjoyed some songs. Wouldn’t return to this album probably.
Probably my least leaked Billie Holiday album. It quickly fades into background music for me.
i know she is a very influential person but something about her voice just irked me. it sounded very throaty and it just bothered me. the album was also just boring and lengthy and sounded very similar.
Meh. Great voice, but not my style
Fails to reconcile the heartbreaking vocals and joyful orchestral score, thus left with a confused mixture of both. Again, somewhat repetitive, some hits but mostly filler
Not my favorite Billie Holiday album.
A haiku: I’m not a jazz guy, So while this was fun to try, It don’t make me cry. 3/10
I was a little shocked by her voice, might be something that grows on me with repeated listens but I just couldn’t get into it today
Nice and the orchestral backdrop is beautiful. A little boring... and it all sounds the same. Sorry!
Sooo soulful and smooth. But it lacks so much emotion. She's very classically approaching this that it just lacks a punch. Most likely won't be reaching for it again soon.
Reminds of the type of music that would be playing in my grandma’s house.
Background music to some high class department store. Easy listening, but not cream muzak for lifts. Not my thing though.
Billie has a great voice but this album is really slow and depressing.
Much as I hate to give the album this rating, as I absolutely love Billie Holiday's voice - it's not really an album as much as it is a bunch of songs on a record. Many of those songs sound the same, and it's a bit of a dreary listen to fight the whole way through them. I'm a fool to want you and you don't know what love is are both good songs, but in my opinion the rest of the album is just sub-par from that point on.
Yes, Billie's voice is croaky, but she has good use of it even if it is past its best. The music is lush, but slow. Too gentle and slow. So I didn't it enjoy it.
The album wasn't bad but her voice heavily grated on me over an hour.
It's a nice album and she is a good singer, but I am rating it low because I am simply not a fan of that type of music. No recognized songs
Billie holliday. You finally know she is a woman. Great 'sad' songs, very jazzy bluesy, some freestyle lyrics I feel (last track) and feels insightful, but not a daily listen. More if you have the blues
Relaxing and nice to listen to, but really not my thing
Not my thing. Don't care for her voice sadly. 4/10
She has a great voice, no doubt. But cover singing jsut doesn't float my boat, and I would never sit and listen to this again.
For whatever reason I never connected with Billie Holiday's voice and the arrangements on this set leaves me bored. 2 🌟
Not for me, at all. Bored me to sleep unfortunately. Almost every song seemed to drag. BuT! It has old Disney soundtrack vibes? The orchestral parts and the flutes/woodwinds dancing in the background of the song resembles faeries or other mythical creatures of a Disney film. Could see potential as a soundtrack, but not music to listen to for pleasure imo. Not a huge fan of the vocals either. Giving it 2 stars though because 1) I can imagine there will be 'much worse' albums coming up 2) there's 'worse' music 3) the potential for soundtrack and it's Disney-esque
Jag brukar vanligtvis inte lyssna på musik av denna typ, men det var förvånansvärt bra faktiskt. Väldigt fint sjunget och musiken gav mig en lugnande känsla. Ett ganska lättlyssnat album. Den största nackdelen är att många låtar låter väldigt lika varann. Alla dessa observationer kommer dock från endast en lyssning så ta det med en nypa salt.
Lady in Satin was a dip into the soulful and quite mournful sounds of Billie Holiday. She has such a gorgeous voice, however this album just didn't grab me. It was a little too heavy on the "You have to have felt loss to love" vibe for me. Best: But Beautiful Worst: You Don't Know What Love Is
This album is all vocal jazz from a great singer, but it's not my type of music, and honestly the age of Billie Holiday during this album had started taking a toll on her voice. In conclusion, songs were too long, too slow, and not broad enough in tonal range.
Nicely crafted and beautiful orchestration but doesn't really do anything or go anywhere.
A bit torn on this one. It doesn't sound bad as such, but it aged really badly, unfortunately and in the end it just went on for way too long, considering that it simply isn't very interesting musically. While it was good background music for a while, it started getting on my nerves before it was over.
A strange album. Restrained vocals with an excellent orchestra. The orchestral pieces lift this album, as Holiday's voice sounds increasingly tired. No surprise that this was her last album before she died. The subject matter is pretty grim. Holiday basically sings about the abuse she has endured as a woman and many many experiences of unrequited/abusive love. The content becomes very samey and is ultimately pretty miserable. I guess that's why they call it the blues.
Billie Holiday is in unusually fine form for such a late-period release. Her voice might crack now and then (she lived life really hard), but her pitch, phrasing and interpretation skills are as immaculate as ever. Trouble arrives with the charts by arranger/conductor Ray Ellis, which are utterly conventional, without an ounce of soul, and dated as hell, stamping this irrevocably as a late 50s product. Every bit of grit and worldliness has to come from Billie, and even if she's up to the task, there's zero musical interest in these tunes, apart from Billie and the songs themselves, which are classic tin pan alley. If not for Billie, this would be an instantly disposable snooze, and that's putting it kindly. 2 1/2 stars out of 5.
Com certeza foi outra coisa ao vivo e nos anos 50 mas em 2021 no Spotify eh horrivel.
I thought I liked Billie Holiday more than this. It's okay, and it does feel like I'm listening to something important, something that should be heard. Her voice is really strange though. I think the problem mmight be the songs on this album, they're all very light and I like her when she's all intense and emotional.
This one of those where my rating system makes me look a dick. She has an incredible voice, but the songs were passing me by apart from a few that I knew. Too dated for me to enjoy
These all sound the same to me? It's pleasant to listen to, but I'm falling asleep here.
C'est cool hein, mais la concurence est rude, et c'est trop ambiant pour giga scorer :-p
More lounge music
Meah. Good I guess.
Smooth soul. Little long
I like it, but it's not my go to. Maybe I'll reassess one day.
slow . love songs. not my type
Magea ääni, mutta neidosta taidettiin repiä kaikki aikanaan irti kun levyjä julkastiin 3v aikana 13?! Määrä korvaa laadun?
Sangerinde, 50’er, jazz/blues, følsomt, virkeligt
I dont really like vocal jazz
I was looking forward to this expecting daring lyrics in the vein of "Strange fruit". Instead every single song deals with love and heartbreak, as if the music world didn't have more than enough of that already. The uniform orchestra production does nothing to make it more interesting and her singing is strangely affected.
Couldn't find any I liked
Old, crinkly voice. Noir movies
This is the kinda jazz i don’t really like
I'm sure it's good music but rlly couldn't listen to it, every song felt the same and rlly bored me
This made me so annoyed i was bitchy to my boyfriend
No. Just no. Boring, samey songs and a voice like nails down a blackboard.
Pffff... Premiers sons c’est sympa, ça change. Mais bon après c’est vite chiant. 40 minutes quoi, c’est long. C’est les mêmes rythmes, les mêmes thèmes, lui lui lui lui… Édit: oh je suis triste gnagnagna… pffff
Couldn't wait for it to end. Just not my style music at all.
Jazz (pejorative) with a shit tonne of string (extremely pejorative).
Schmaltzy string, Bambi flutes, tame brass and plodding rhythms give all the songs a slow baggy washed out feel that nails a certain set of moods - listless, cool, complacent. But aside from a few turns of melodic phrase and the creaking cracking timbre of her voice, it's over orchestrated, tedious and pretty boring.
This album is not to my taste. Monotonous and boring is how I would describe it. Her voice is uninspiring. I can not tell when one song starts and one song ends. It's all the same. Not for me, respectfully.
Very monotone Not my thing
Every song sounded the same and her voice felt irritating at times
Too old for my taste. Didn't really enjoy at all
Her voice is beautiful and unique, but this album was slow, repetative and uninsipiring.
Look - I love Billie Holiday. I stan Billie Holiday. But holy shit was this album a slog. It felt like one single 44 minute long song. I had to keep checking youtube to make sure I wasn't looping the same song over again. The only saving grace was the occasional trumpet line. Whole thing felt like the backtrack to a boring ass movie from the 50s.
Too slow for me
Good music to bleed out in a snowbank to
I'm sorry, but this was outstandingly awful. I expected a lot more, in turn I got a lounge restaurant singer with the most boring instrumentation ever. I really, really, wanted to like it, especially as I know Holiday is an all time singer, but this was just not good or interesting enough. It's on me.
Billie Holiday may have been a big name in her day. I'm sure this album was great back then. But I'm afraid those days are long gone. I don't like her singing style. On top of that, the strings and the settings are so saccharine that it physically hurt me to listen to it. I definitely won't be listening to it again. 1/5
so can’t Karl pack dance to all
1+ Stars (3/15)
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.
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.
I'm sorry, I just really do not get the appeal of jazz
Why is this even here
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.
Booooooorrrrring.
1958 (again!) I really didn't like this. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ hell no Urghh! ★☆☆☆☆(2/10)
# 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
Komt misschien door mijn auto boxen, maar het klonk mij erg veel van hetzelfde. Ook niet zo'n fan van dat ellenlange gejammer
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...
Bit same same
What's slower than the average funeral dirge? Singing in the 50s
Too slow. Gives off Olive Garden vibes
Artiste connue de nom uniquement. Je suis vraiment déçu par cet album : l’instrumentation orchestrale m'a rebuté dès le début, elle laisse très peu de place pour des improvisions (l'essence du jazz pour moi), et ... je n'aime pas la voix de BH ! Je ne suis pas sur que ce soit le meilleur album pour découvrir cette artiste. Un vrai calvaire, je ne suis donc pas allé au bout. =>1/5
Oh boy. Here we go, an album I can't come up with a reasonable defense for... I've always been an advocate of approaching art patiently. I think if you don't finish something because it is "boring," you don't get to have an opinion about it because you haven't engaged with the art in its intended way. You don't get to judge the quality of the whole movie if you stopped watching halfway through because you thought that the prologue was too boring. To assess its merit, you first need to know what it was building up towards. If someone were to ask me to create a long list of my favorite songs, probably 80% or even more of it would consist of tracks that are over 10 minutes long. Longer formats give musicians more room for artistic expression, let them paint a more full, bigger picture. By not being confined by time restrictions, they're not forced to be eloquent and can fill the composition with as much detail as they want. Of course, you can't expect a 20-minute song to be structured like a pop track. The parts will have to be longer, and there's going to be more of them. This almost inevitably leads to the emergence of more low-key or even "boring" parts. But isn't this a problem? If some part is boring, doesn't it bring the whole song down? Well, in the case of long-form music, not necessarily. If I'm listening to something like GY!BE of Swans, the low-key parts are not going to bother me since I know that somewhere in the song, there is a part that is going to blow me away with it's sheer sonic power. Although this sort of minimalistic, quieter, more relaxed composition would usually be a problem for me, in this specific case, it is actually a benefit because it helps to establish atmosphere and build up anticipation before a huge reveal. A good build up enhances the crescendo by rewarding patience. This is what makes me like long songs so much. In a typical pop or EDM song, before the chorus or the drop—the part that is supposed to be the most hype—you'll get, like, 30 seconds, maybe a minute, of build up. It just never hits that hard. Even when it's not bad, I never stop thinking that, compared to long-form songs, they fail to appropriately build anticipation. The composition of the song doesn’t do enough to make me hyped up for the drop—the vibes are just not there. It is certainly not impossible to achieve a similar effect in a shorter time frame. Off the top of my head, one example would be Fade to Black by Metallica. Before arriving at arguably one of the best riffs ever written, the songs spends 2 minutes on build up that does its job incredibly well. Still, although short build ups can be good, the strongest ones are always longer. But how does this all relate to Lady in Satin? Well, that’s precisely the problem—it doesn’t. It doesn’t have any huge or impactful parts. Neither the instruments nor the vocals are going for anything catchy or interesting. Nothing stands out, there’s no build up, nothing to anticipate, and nothing to get excited about. There’s nothing to catch your attention. You can be patient and sit through it (like I did), but there’s no reward. This is worse than elevator music, because elevator music is at least trying to be pleasant. Imagine an album that consists entirely of the boring parts of long songs—it is meaningless since the entire purpose is build up. It’s not underwhelming—it’s just not “whelming” at all. This album is completely devoid of fun. Even before I started listening to music, I sort of knew that vocal jazz would be at the absolute bottom tier of my preferences. This kind of music doesn’t attract me at all. I hate this slow and brooding style of vocals and instruments with no meaningful variation of tone or volume throughout the songs; no crescendos and barely any accents to break the monotony. Since then, I've learned that there's perhaps a bit more to this genre than I'd originally given it credit for, but I doubt that there's anything that would make me like it. This is just something that is fundamentally not for my taste. My ADHD brain simply can't handle something SO understimulating. Lady in Satin is the absolute embodiment of everything I dislike about vocal jazz with not a single thing that would've made it a little bit more palpable for me. It doesn’t feature anything I typically enjoy about music. Although it’s not offensive in any way—it’s not going to blow your ears out or have any tonally unpleasant sounds—it is boring to an utterly absurd degree. I know this probably reads like an angry rant, but it’s really not. I’m not angry. I just think that this is an extremely boring album—that’s it. Music is meant to be entertaining, and in my opinion, this is simply not. On an unrelated note, this is the second vocal jazz album I've heard that uses the word "gay" at least once... I'm starting to think it might've meant something different in the 50s...
1.5
Not my preference
Not really my jam, but sings very well.
I really enjoy jazz, and Billie Holiday has a perfect voice for it, but this just doesn't do much for me. I'd have to be in a very specific mood (like Christmas Eve at 9 PM) to wanna put an album like this on. It's delicately and beautifully produced, but not for me. All the songs could be one long track.
Beautiful music, but not for me.
Great vocals but music is a little too old for my new gen taste. I think it’s a style that has the potential to grow on me. 1/5 just because I kept losing interest in the style.
listened during a snowy miserable commute to work and am afraid ms holiday suffered for that, this was a bit too jazzy christmassy for me to enjoy
nope. Old and shite. Not for me at all. So repetitive.
Perhaps the slowest album on the list. Made me remember "69 Love Songs" and how painful of an experience that was
For Heaven's Sake let's turn this off. Didn't enjoy the vocals. Or the content. I would say it was too smooth ... but actually the vocals were quite harsh. And every song sang in exactly the same way. Plus the music was all kind of big and silly. An over decorated cake of an album. No flavour at all. Nothing here for me, I'm afraid.
I have never listened to Billie Holiday before but somehow I still got much less than I had hoped from this album. Truly forgettable. On a bit of further discovery, I did find it interesting to see how the ‘Strange Fruits’ song inspired ‘Blood on the Leaves’ (2013).
The Lady In Satin smokes more than a little too much. This album is one song that’s an hour and five minutes (too) long. That it was released post-humorous must be why it made the 1001 too long album list. A couple of the songs are on the album three times, sheesh. Not good (1.4*s)
This album really had me questioning why Billie Holiday is so celebrated, such a drag. All the songs sound the same, nothing good about them, much too long with repeats of the same track multiple times (or was this literally just the same song 16 times, I can't even tell). This sounded so 50's and reminded me of a Disney princess ballad at times (only way worse). I didn't enjoy it at all, low 0.65.
Good god I'm done with the 50s. No more please. It's such a slow and boring era for music. Was everyone just too boozed up on breakfast, at work, and after work martini hour to pay attention? Was there a different song on this album? Swear it was on groundhog day loop. I did not care for Holiday's voice waggle at all. Done...out...please make it stop before I fall asleep at the wheel or my desk...0.7.
Woof. Didn't think this would be so bad as it got started but this was a tough listen. I didn't find anything notable in this album as I wasn't impressed with the vocals nor the backing band. Felt like it was almost the same song 10 times in a row, which I didn't enjoy the first time through. This was a tough 45 minutes. .52 stars
Ok
1.5/5
I HATED this one I'm sorry to say! The songs were quite nice although a bit boring. But her voice was terrible And it just kept going on and on. Multiple versions of the same songs - it was too much! I really was begging for this one to end and I struggled getting through it 1 ⭐️
Not my Music!
Album molto monotono, canzoni tutte uguali e non particolarmente belle. Sentita una sentite tutte.