Lady In Satin

The final album released in her lifetime, 1958’s Lady In Satin sees Billie Holiday move from small jazz combos to a lush 40-piece orchestra under the guidance of Ray Ellis. It’s the most elegant of late-career resets, revisiting the pillowy horns and cascading strings of her Decca era. That treatment lends a lovely cinematic uplift to Billie’s slow-burn melancholy, as evidenced by the romantic widescreen glow of “For Heaven’s Sake.” Especially sumptuous is the resilient ballad “But Beautiful,” haloed by luminous backing vocals.