Name: Lady Sings The Blues
Brand: Billie Holiday

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

E9841964

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2010-03-01

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Universal

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Billie Holiday

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Decca

Essential

some holiday fans embrace the very weariness and faults of her late recordings that others find heartbreaking and disappointing. these sessions from 1955 and 1956 clearly show the results of a life marked by alcohol and drug abuse, horrific love affairs and racism. on such cuts as "too marvelous for words" the contrast between the lyrics and holiday's heavy-heartedness is disconcerting. but the juxtaposition works on "i must have that man," where holiday's interpretations seem to be saying that even good love is tragic. the lynching depicted in "strange fruit" is certainly made even more powerful and harrowing by holiday's slow, wrenching delivery. in 1959, holiday would die with 70 cents in her bank account. lady sings the blues is the soundtrack for those final, troubled years.

Lady Sings The Blues

Music GB