Lady Sings the Blues So Well
I don't have the energy to post an update. I worked 9.5 hours today (with a half out break included in that time) and I haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm burnt.
Day 3:
Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues
Favorite Track(s): "Strange Fruit", "Trav'lin Light"
Where do you start with a vocalist like Billie Holiday? Really, I'd only ever heard "Strange Fruit" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (which I honestly didn't know the latter was her originally. I always hear covers, etc around the holidays and tune it out like the other songs every year). Her voice is haunting and it carries emotion and weight. It's not multi-octave or anything that would probably get on the map much these days but it is timeless. This album captured me from the first few notes.
The lyrics are captivating too. Here is an album from 80ish years ago. Times have changed but they honestly haven't. "Strange Fruit" still makes me sob today just like when I first heard it 20 years ago. We're still facing this issue today. I'm not going into that now since that's not what this is about, but know it's there.
The version I pulled up on Youtube to listen to also included a 15 minute rehearsal track for "God Bless The Child". It was fascinating. You can hear Billie and her band and whoever else was in the studio/recording area discussing, practicing, having fun and being serious.