Customer Reviews

Lady Sings The Blues

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would have to take strong exception to the notion that Billie's late period is her best. She gets so much emotion out of a song that the added "drama" of her increasingly troubled life and waning pipes becomes, at best, superfluous and, at worst, a distraction. Nevertheless, this 1956 collection, one of Verve's "Desert Island Discs," has much to offer, particularly her singularly affecting interpretation of Dorothy Parker's "I Wished on the Moon" (taken at a slower tempo than on her other recordings and with the inclusion of the song's verse).

But at over 117 minutes (How did Verve pull that off? Aren't non-compressed CD's limited to 80 minutes?), the program begins to run out of steam. The "arrangements" are quickly-sketched heads by Tony Scott, whose clarinet becomes cloying and overly-busy at times (especially when he insists on improvising during Billie's singing). Tempos and voicings become pretty predictable, though there are some sparkling solos by pianist Billy Taylor as well as trumpeter Charlie Shavers.

The photos of Billie shot during the session capture a different side of her--neither the glamorous Lady Day of the past nor the mummified, cosmetic beauty of her "Lady in Satin" album but the hard, yet very "natural," look of a harried, tired school teacher who still, somehow, suggests that she means business.

The real kicker on this CD is the inclusion of the 15-minute rehearsal tape (made on a cheap home machine) of Scott and Billie going over (and over and over) "God Bless the Child" in search of a key and arrangement that the singer can assent to. What surprised me was Billie's strength and command. Even though the first key is a fifth above the one that is finally settled on, she executes the upper-register notes in the higher key with surprising ease and power. Moreover, she lays to rest the misconception (admittedly, shared by me) that her voice during this period was largely a whisper salvaged by the microphone. Not only does she project the song; she practically belts it!

There are two schools of fans when it comes to Lady Day :(1) fans who loved her voice when she was strong and brilliant, resounding with a fine vibratto before the drugs came into play and (2) the post-drug Holiday who still can swing and jazz the songs up fine and dandy, even singing songs that are heartbreaking to her. I belong to the second. Holiday has a brilliant touch in singing jazz, blues and, yes, even love songs. Her brilliance shines so strongly in this CD that you can feel every beat of her heart that saw rough times. I have never heard a better version of P.S. I Love You or I Thought About You. Aside from the wonderful interpretation brought by her, the CD quality sound of the songs brings her voice alive and well. Lady Day deserves to be heard by her fans, especially those who love to hear her swing or cry about this thing called love.

Yes, this is a fantastic release, but my biggest complaint is the songs are not in the same order as the original release (cd or lp), so if you rearrange them to be in their proper order, it's fine, but why would they rearrange the tracks? A bad mistake, one which, in my opinion, keeps this from a 5 star rating. I'm of the opinion that Holiday's Verve (high) years were her best, and, of course, there are two camps in this 'argument' so we'll have to agree to disagree. The Verve years have always been, and always will be, my personal favorite. Nothing like this early in the morning with your favorite cup of java.

While I love Billie, in her own words, these sessions were dull, and uninspired. Since the reviews should focus on one CD, that is the jist of it; boring renditions, and back up musicians that are not the ones that Billie was used to making for a very uneven collection.

I recently acquired this album and though it has the basic Billie repertoire I am really impressed by the arrangements and the new life Bilie is bringing to her old classics. Billie has come full circle in this album accompanied by great muscians -- it had me mesmerized. Billies' singing has lifted up my spirits and I don't like to critic and hope this review will make the future buyer of this album experience what I experienced. The trumpet and the piano and the sax and Billie is the best.

this album is a timeless classic. It enbodies the pure essance of Mrs. Holiday's life and music. It a pleasure to listen to it; I feel clam, relax and mellow everytime I hear it.