Customer Reviews

Strange Fruit 1937-1939

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

 

 

An absolutely worthwhile C.D. with some of Billie Holiday's most wonderful songs. Especially the beautifully disturbing Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday's vioce brings out all the pain and emotion of this powerful music. A great buy that will bring tears to your eyes.

I had heard Billie Holidays' music off and on though the years. I finally made a connection when I viewed a story about her life on "Touched by an Angel" when of course, they presented a story ref: "Strange Fruit". This artist demonstrated such bravery; when I received the CD, and I listened to her words, I have fell in love with her life. She is one that should always be respected. I plan to put a play together at my church about her tragic life story. Thank God for her courage to use her voice to make a stand. I love the entire CD, it is music for your soul. The service I received from Amazon.com was great.

I first heard the song, "Strange Fruit" in the HBO movie, "The Affair", starring Kerry Fox and Courtney B Vance. The song goes along perfectly with the movie, because Fox and Vance both share a common interest: this Billie Holiday song. The song sets the beginning as well as the painful ending. {Vance is hanged for sleeping with Fox, after her husband returns home from the war, and tells her to tell the court that Vance raped her, or he will take their son and divorce her.} All that aside, I loved the song and fell in love with Ms. Holiday's voice.

...I give this three stars not because it deserves 3 stars, but because, after hearing Nina Simone perform this song, Billie's didn't even come close.When I heard Billie perform this song, I thought yes, yes, well done.But when I heard Nina Simone sing this song, everything was sucked out of me inside, I felt empty;nina tore the life out of me, by the end of the song, there were tears streaming down my face.I will just say that Billie has had much better recordings, and this by far does not capture all of her greatness.But , I do have to say, that Nina is the true queen of jazz.Billie is magnificent, but she is not Nina.I am 13 years old, and I have nothing else to judge except for what I hear.And I just have to say that Billie's version will never,ever come close to Nina's.And if you can, please, search the world for Nina's rendition of Strange Fruit.It's the most beautiful thing you'll ever hear.