Exquisite! This was designed to be a comeback album of sorts for Lady Day; it was her first and only (during her lifetime) release on Columbia Records. After a career steeped in hard swinging jazz, and having heard Ray Ellis' lush arrangements on his "Ellis in Wonderland" album she decided that she wanted to sing over more of an easy-listening sound (she'd also considered recording with Nelson Riddle after hearing his work with Sinatra).
Ellis wanted to put some seriously dense string arrangements behind the singer to compensate for her weathered voice. She'd been struggling with alcohol and heroin addiction, so sounded more like she was in her 80s than in her 40s.
Holiday had never had a huge vocal range; she's always been more known for her tone and her sense of rhythm. Even in its worn down state, her voice sounds so pure, so strong and dripping with feeling it manages to work with and against the syrupy sweet arrangements to keep things from getting too maudlin.
The very first cut "I'm a fool to want you" really sets the tone for the rest of the album.
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