Which jazz singer recorded the 1958 album Lady in Satin?

Billie Holiday recorded the 1958 album Lady in Satin.

Columbia Records released Lady in Satin in 1958, with orchestral arrangements by Ray Ellis. It was one of Holiday’s final studio albums and featured standards including “I’m a Fool to Want You,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and “Glad to Be Alive.”

The album is especially notable for the altered character of Holiday’s voice. Her phrasing remained highly individual, but years of illness and hardship had changed the sound from the lighter, more agile instrument heard on many of her earlier recordings. The lush strings and reeds create a very different setting from the small jazz groups associated with her classic 1930s work.

Lady in Satin is sometimes confused with Holiday’s earlier album Songs for Distingué Lovers, recorded in 1957 with a smaller jazz ensemble. The two records document different periods in her career. Lady in Satin’s orchestral design and late-career vocal interpretation have made it one of the most discussed albums in her discography.