HOLIDAY BILLIE – VERY BEST CD

Opis

For once here is an album which does what it says on the cover, with over 77 minutes of music and 25 tracks, this release is as definitive as a single disc can get, following Billie Holiday from her recordings in the 1930s, through to the 50s. Whether in or out of jazz, Holiday is simply one of the incomparably great singers of the twentieth century, her voice sensual, resigned, bitter or haunted, she carries each of these classic cuts with her own unique style. The only drawback with this release is the lack of any notes detailing the individual tracks. Nevertheless, the album opens with an easy-going “These Foolish Things”, instantly transporting the listener to another world and Holiday’s utterly personal way with a lyric through versions of Gershwin’s “Summertime”, “A Fine Romance” and “The Way You Look Tonight”. There are more Gershwin masterpieces to follow, with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “I Loves You, Porgy”, while Holiday’s own “God Bless The Child” retains all its heartfelt sentiment. The album concludes with melancholy string-backed recordings from Holiday’s later years, ending with the sadness of “For All We Know”. This really is jazz at its best. –Gary S. Dalkin