Disc #23: Bille Holiday (Love Songs)

Artist: Billie Holiday
Album: Love Songs
Released by Columbia in 1996

I think that for this review it is fitting to start with my summary of the album. Overall, I feel so relaxed when I listen to this disc. On many of her other recordings, Billie Holiday is so profound and can stir many different emotions. Here, however, she just makes me feel at peace.

Her voice is unique, yet soothing. It's not jarring or startling like it has the potential to be. She had quite the talent. This album is packed to the brim with classic jazz standards, including "All of me", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Them There Eyes", and "Let's Do It", to name just a few of the sixteen classics on this compilation. In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with Billie. As it says on the back cover, "Lady Day could sing any song."

The other thing I found interesting while listening to this music was the skill of the backing musicians (who include Count Basie and Roy Eldridge). Holiday is obviously showcased on these recordings as she is the lead vocal, but the musicians are so ridiculously talented. You never hear skill like this on the radio today. It's a real shame. Still, these guys take the back seat and let Lady Day do her thing. We need this again. I wish I grew up in that era (either that or the seventies).

This isn't the type of album I would put on while cruising down the highway, but it sure is nice to curl up to on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I'm not over the moon about this disc, but I certainly have no complaints. I will award a score of:

6

Join me next time as the experiment continues with Disc #24: Billy Joel (52ND Street).