Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday

The popular Etta James usually performs raunchy single-entendre blues so this surprisingly subtle outing is a real change of pace. She sounds quite laidback on a set of ballads associated with Billie Holiday and utilizes a jazz rhythm section led by pianist Cedar Walton plus three horn players including the great Red Holloway on tenor and alto. James makes no attempts at exploring uptempo material or scatting, sticking to soulful interpretations of the classic ballads. Despite the lack of variety in tempoes, the music is quite satisfying. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide