Regarding Billie Holiday, I believe most discerning people would pick “Lady Sings the Blues” as one the best releases from her later years, but I respectfully disagree. I think the reason that album received so much attention was because it coincided with the release of her hair-raising (and ghost-written) autobiography of the same name.

In later years, it was then associated with the Diana Ross ‘star vehicle’ film, which lent the album title an air of importance, but most of the material on “Lady Sings the Blues” was simply re-recordings of songs that she performed when she was in her prime. It was intended as nostalgia, and for my taste, that weakens its strengths to some degree. It will always bring a chill to hear her perform “Strange Fruit,” but the gut-wrenching impact of the song was much stronger when first released in 1939. “God Bless the Child” is another classic, but her best version dates back to 1941. There is a rough edge to her delivery that is befitting when paired with the tawdry details of her book, but the material is simply not consistent enough, and it doesn’t help matters that the recording lacked the new ‘hi-fi’ standard that the times demanded.

I believe the best latter-day Billie Holiday album should offer something different and new, with emotional impact and musical surprises that can hold you riveted to your seat. “Lady in Satin” is definitely an album that meets all of that criteria. Granted, just about everybody’s first impression is usually along the lines of “Oh my God, what happened to her voice?” There is no doubt that Holiday sounds like a beaten woman, which to be frank, was certainly the case by 1958. She knew that she was unwell and that she needed a change, so she aspired to make a record that would compete with those being made by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

“Lady in Satin” was intentionally developed as a comeback record, and she made some surprising choices to that end. First, she let her contract with Norman Granz and Verve Records expire. It was unusual for such a well-regarded label, but her albums on Verve were often lackluster, featuring Holiday and a small jazz ensemble interpreting predictable (and often redundant) selections from the ‘Great American Songbook’. For her new record, Holiday wanted a full orchestra, with an arranger who knew his way around lush, commercial instrumentation. No more rough edges - she craved beauty. Nelson Riddle was considered but Holiday herself opted to select Ray Ellis for the job, best known for his work with Johnny Mathis and the Four Lads. She then signed with Columbia, a label she worked for in the early forties. Fortuitously, the label brass also saw the project as an opportunity for a new start and they funded the project generously. Columbia insisted that she find classic material (yes, from the Great American Songbook) that she hadn’t yet recorded, and the song selection was nearly flawless. Everything was in place for a return to stardom.

What seemed to go unconsidered was the literally startling juxtaposition of these sweet, richly textured arrangements when set against the haggard, deeply pained delivery of Holiday. To say that her voice sounded lived in would be an understatement of astounding proportion. Every ounce of pain that life handed to her is on full display here, and there are times when the very act of listening can be deeply uncomfortable. Pay close attention and you may find yourself squirming in your seat. It is not music for the weak of heart, but it delivers such a profound emotional impact that it is instantly transporting and utterly unforgettable. One some level, it’s almost voyeuristic to sit passively while so much emotional darkness washes over you, but if you believe that an important ingredient of great music is to convey emotion in a manner that never sounds forced or false, then “Lady in Satin” qualifies as Art of the highest order. The album never charted, and Holiday would be dead within a year of its release. It was the last album she made in her lifetime.

Featured Tracks:

I'm a Fool to Want You

For Heaven's Sake

You Don't Know What Love Is

I Get Along Without You Very Well

For All We Know

Violets for Your Furs

You've Changed

It's Easy to Remember

But Beautiful

Glad to Be Unhappy

I'll Be Around

The End of a Love Affair

June 1958 – Billboard Did Not Chart