Search - Billie Holiday :: Lady in Satin

No accounting for tastes....

Wh Gulledge III | Wahiawa, HI United States | 02/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first review of this particular SACD. It is a Sony release in 2002 and has 11 tracks compared with the 1999 SACD of the same title which has 17 tracks. I've not heard the 1999 SACD.I just bought a SACD player and this is a disc I wanted to try since I like Billie Holiday's previous releases on CD. When the first track started I thought.."Uh oh...", her voice sounds tired, strained, and the timbre was shakey. As I listened to the disc through to the end I found the music touched me on some level that I can't explain. I've now played it through 5 or 6 times and it gets better each time. I thoroughly enjoy it.Every track is listenable and enjoyable. Besides the uniqueness of Billie's voice the Ellis ensemble is terrific. Some wonderful horn work at the end of #3-You Don't Know What Love Is. Track #5-For All We Know, is sooo sweet. The Ellis ensemble includes strings, harp, and vocal choir.Billie had to know, during and after recording this, that her voice simply did not have the pure strong tone that it did during the late 1930's. Yet, she indicates this is her favorite recording. Why? Give it a listen and you'll see that she pours her soul into each song. She just strips herself bare (metaphorically speaking) for all to see. Maybe she knew she was nearing the end of her life, she died only 17 months after completing LIS.I read the reviews from the 1999 SACD and some have said listening to Billie at this point in her life is like watching a train wreck, you just can't turn away. I humbly disagree. Maybe because I am a big fan of the blues. She puts her heart and soul into singing with Ray Ellis' ensemble. Another reviewer said that it is "morbid" to react positively to this SACD. Well, all music (thankfully) is not happy, happy. Give this disc a listen several times and make your own call.As Ray Ellis says in his new annotation to this particular SACD of Lady in Satin "After we finished the album...I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was."Regarding the quality of the SACD, I feel it is very good. Of course I am new to SACD but I have had a low end audiophile system for years so I can pretty much tell good from bad. Remember too that when SACD's are produced a significant part of how good the quality will be is based on how the original recording was mastered. Considering this recording was mastered in February of 1958 the SACD quality is crystal clear on my system (Marantz DVD/SACD combo player, Sun tube preamp, B&W Nautilus speakers, and (appropriately) a 40 year old MacIntosh tube amp (MC-240). The SACD has excellent separation and soundstage with fine stereo imaging. I think this disc also has surround capability but I prefer plain two-channel stereo for listening to good music. The instruments and voice are reproduced faithfully and with crystal clarity. I consider it a true audiophile recording. Absolutely no background hisses, pops, or other distractions.Give this one a spin if you like blues or jazz, I think most people will be pleased with their purchase. All of the tracks are outstanding. Highly recommended.Also, if you like listening to a woman pour her soul into her singing you might want to check out Cesaria Evora. Not SACD but still fine music. Recommended discs: "Miss Perfumado", "Voz D'Amor", and " The Very Best of Cesaria Evora.""