Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Nnenna Freelon had no intention of making her tribute to Billie Holiday a straight-ahead remake of songs associated with Lady Day. But the danger of straying too far from these well-known melodies is that these contemporary arrangements end up sounding both overblown yet bland. Unlike her Stevie Wonder tribute (Tales of Wonder), where Freelon's interpretations were too similar to Wonder's, she essentially discards the music to many of these songs, while substituting repetitious, often funky vamps that lessen the impact of these timeless songs. "God Bless the Child" begins with narration and is plagued by its dull funk setting. The overly dramatic rendition of "Strange Fruit" segues into a bizarre brisk treatment of "Willow Weep for Me" that mixes post-bop and Afro-Cuban influences. The playful spirit of "Them There Eyes" is gone, replaced by a monotonous contemporary scoring. Better are the slowly savored "You've Changed" and "Don't Explain." Freelon's own compositions stand on their own, which include "Only You Will Know" (a duet with guitarist Andre Bush) and the brief "Interlude-Little Brown Bird." Nnenna Freelon has long since proved herself as one of the best jazz vocalists of her generation, but this salute to Billie Holiday will likely be of limited appeal to many dedicated fans of Lady Day.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Richard Rodgers, ComposerLyricist - Lorenz Hart, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Harry M. Woods, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Billie Holiday, ComposerLyricist - Arthur Herzog Jr., ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Billie Holiday, ComposerLyricist - Arthur Herzog Jr., ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist - Allan Lewis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Ann Ronell, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
PUBLIC DOMAIN, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Maceo Pinkard, ComposerLyricist - DORIS TAUBER, ComposerLyricist - William Tracey, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Brandon McCune, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Carl Fischer, ComposerLyricist - Bill Carey, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Billie Holiday, ComposerLyricist - Carl Fischer, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Roger "Ram" Ramirez, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Davis, ComposerLyricist - James Sherman, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Billie Holiday, ComposerLyricist - Mal Waldron, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Mal Waldron, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist - Brandon McCune, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
GERALD MARKS, ComposerLyricist - Seymour Simons, ComposerLyricist - Nnenna Freelon, MainArtist
℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Album review
Nnenna Freelon had no intention of making her tribute to Billie Holiday a straight-ahead remake of songs associated with Lady Day. But the danger of straying too far from these well-known melodies is that these contemporary arrangements end up sounding both overblown yet bland. Unlike her Stevie Wonder tribute (Tales of Wonder), where Freelon's interpretations were too similar to Wonder's, she essentially discards the music to many of these songs, while substituting repetitious, often funky vamps that lessen the impact of these timeless songs. "God Bless the Child" begins with narration and is plagued by its dull funk setting. The overly dramatic rendition of "Strange Fruit" segues into a bizarre brisk treatment of "Willow Weep for Me" that mixes post-bop and Afro-Cuban influences. The playful spirit of "Them There Eyes" is gone, replaced by a monotonous contemporary scoring. Better are the slowly savored "You've Changed" and "Don't Explain." Freelon's own compositions stand on their own, which include "Only You Will Know" (a duet with guitarist Andre Bush) and the brief "Interlude-Little Brown Bird." Nnenna Freelon has long since proved herself as one of the best jazz vocalists of her generation, but this salute to Billie Holiday will likely be of limited appeal to many dedicated fans of Lady Day.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:46
- Main artists: Nnenna Freelon
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Concord Records
- Genre: Jazz
© 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc ℗ 2005 Concord Music Group, Inc
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.