Billie Holiday Albums Ranked

Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), known professionally as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills. Holiday won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously, for Best Historical Album. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, though not in that genre; the website states that “Billie Holiday changed jazz forever”. Several films about her life have been released, most recently The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021). Here are all of Billie Holiday’s albums ranked.

Click below and listen to one of the most influential artists of all time. Reminisce the timeless music of Billie Holiday.

10. Lady Day: The Best Of Billie Holiday (2001)

“This is it. It’s the best sounding and most comprehensive collection of Billie Holiday recordings. To be as old as they are, these songs sound fantastic and have a timeless quality that belies their age. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of classic music.”

9. Billie Holiday Sings (1950) 

“An excellent 10″ which captures Lady Day in fine form. honestly not the kind of thing I’d usually review, but the fact that this has none is a travesty. The band backing her is in fine form as well, with a swinging, properly jazz quality that you don’t always find when dealing with this kind of old-school pop music.”

8. Body And Soul (1957)

“What’s the difference between someone with a good voice and a good singer? Elvis had a wonderful voice but never did much with it. Here Billie Holiday’s voice is cracked and chipped like an old jug you find half buried in the garden, sometimes it feels as though she has just woken in the morning and is searching for her first cigarette before she can speak, gone is the freshness and sass of her voice of 15 or 20 years previously, but what is left she uses with a rare brilliance – much has been written about what makes Holiday’s singing unique and it’s been written much better than I possibly could, but her work is one of the greatest (and I would say the greatest) responses to and interpretations of the American Tin Pan Alley song. “

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7. An Evening With Billie Holiday (1953)

“Holiday’s voice was still near the peak of it’s form when this was recorded, as opposed to the broken shadow itself it would be even four years later, and when she was on, she was on. It might not be the best Billie Holiday album, but it’s well worth your time.”

6. Billie Holiday (1947)

“The track list is very comprehensive of her days at Commodore, which many revere as the time when her voice was at its best. I did have some problems with the sound quality at first, and I don’t know if either my ears adjusted or my record player did, but it seems to be better now. I see this record as a fundamental addition to any Holiday fans still alive, and would definitely recommend it.”

5. Solitude (1956)

“Another great release by Billie Holiday. This record got an especially full and warm sound, and displays her voice in a very fresh and vital way. Responsible for the rhythm accompaniment is, among others, The Oscar Peterson Trio.”

4. Billie Holiday Sings (1952)

“Her world-weary voice is at its most heart-breaking here. More strings and late 1950’s production than I like on a few of the songs, but still, an essential document from a major force.”

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3. Songs For Distingué Lovers (1957)

“A beautiful record! The sound is amazing, the songs are sultry and beautiful. I was looking for a record to add to my collection that focused on a strong female voice, and figured I couldn’t go wrong with Billie, and I wasn’t wrong. Powerful.”

2. Lady Sings The Blues (1956)

“For vocal jazz in general a few tracks at a time work best for me and that’s even the case with Lady Day. Some powerful and dark songs on here with a little bit more swinging as the album progresses. “Strange Fruit” will blow you away but my favorite is still the classic title track. Odd this album spans some two and half years and some sources have it listed as a compilation.”

1. Lady In Satin (1958)

“This album is for serious admirers of Billie’s unique quality. Her voice was starting to go when she recorded these tracks but amazingly she never loses control of her superb timing. Unless you are familiar with Billie’s work you will find many of these tracks hard to listen to but about 10 of the tracks are masterpieces that alone justify purchase.”