Customer Reviews

Lady Time

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During her later years of recording Norman Granz placed Ella in different settings trying to create new challenges for her, on this cd he did it again! an Organ and Drums and no other instruments? When i first brought this cd i thought this is strange and will be very interesting to listen to! well it's great, Ella, Jackie Davis on Organ and Louie Bellson on Drums make this one swinging CD!!!! Ella is in great voice using different tempos of her voice, 'I'm Walkin' & 'Since i fell for you' are great examples, she uses the deeper range on 'I'm in the Mood for love', 'What will i tell my heart' is tenderly sung,

Lady Time is a great addition to your Ella collection!

This is a very disappointing release from the "First Lady of Song." I honestly think that Ella Fitzgerald is one of the most talented vocalists of the 20th century, but this album is very much beneath her.

For starters, the album sounds like a performance you'd hear at a cheesy 1970s lounge. Hearing that awful Hammond organ brings to mind a room full of cigarette smoke and stale beer smells, occupied by drunk patrons who aren't paying any attention to the act on the stage.

That's not to say that the material is bad; while it may not all be the Great American Songbook, most of the songs are pretty decent. Perhaps having Ella cover Ricky Nelson wasn't the most brilliant idea in history, but there are good songs among the album's selection.

Ella is in excellent voice here; this is what saves the album from being terrible. Admittedly, the sparse arrangements serve to highlight her vocals, which are nuanced and note-perfect. If only she didn't sound like she was singing at a baseball game...