very good--as far as it goes, that is (three and 1/2 stars)
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billie Holiday tries its best to give us a CD that can be great for people in all income brackets; but it falls short of being anywhere near a true "best of" collection. The sound quality is very good and the artwork is about par for this CD series. How I wish they added at least one or two more songs!

"Strange Fruit," a powerful song if you listen to the lyrics, starts the CD off with one of Billie's greatest hits. Billie sings this with all her heart and soul and her performance lacks nothing--it's all THAT good. The piano sounds great, too. "Fine And Mellow" gets a somewhat jazzy rendition as a young Billie Holiday belts this bluesy tune out to make this number take off like a jet! Billie never sings a superfluous note, either! In addition, Billie sings "Lover Man" to perfection--and beyond! Awesome--what a chanteuse Billie Holiday truly was!

"Good Morning Heartache" gets the royal treatment from Billie who delivers this flawlessly. I think Billie's rendition of this tune is THE definitive rendition of this timeless torch song. Billie's uncanny sense of timing also enhances the natural beauty of this melancholy ballad. Moreover, "T'ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do" has great brass and when Billie comes in this number takes flight! I love it.

"My Man" sounds fresh and new when Billie Holiday performs this with so much sensitivity; and "I Loves You Porgy" from Porgy And Bess shines brightly when Billie Holiday delivers this without a flaw. "Lady Sings The Blues" starts with some awesome brass as a musical flourish to announce the beginning of the ballad; and when Billie comes in she never misses a beat! Billie performs "Lady Sings The Blues" better than any other female singer ever could!

"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is a pretty upbeat ballad for a gal like Billie who sang so many torch songs; Billie handles this like the pro she always was; and that's grand. The CD also ends strong with Billie Holiday singing "God Bless The Child." "God Bless The Child" shines like silver and gold when the great Billie Holiday sings it; and I'm very impressed.

Overall, this is an excellent although way too brief assortment of Billie Holiday tunes. They could have and should have added at least one more song; and even then they have the nerve to call this a "best of" collection. Diehard fans can easily find great box sets by Billie Holiday for sale on this website; this CD is best suited for the casual fan who just wants a brief smattering of tunes by Billie Holiday.

Simplicity Like A Blow
This is the very first jazz record I have ever bought or listened to, and I decided to write my review with the first listen still fresh in my mind. It's not that I was avoiding jazz; I was simply never exposed to it. What can I say, I stand before you unmasked as the Philistine that I am! Certainly then it must seem a bit presumptuous of me, a jazz illiterate if ever there was one, to offer any criticism good or bad. But on the other hand, who can give you the more honest reaction: the man who has studied, weighed and evaluated jazz for four decades, or the man whose ignorance precludes the possibility of bias?

The word 'Diva' gets tossed around a lot these days. It is frequently misapplied to singers like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion, two performers who are unquestionably talented, but not as much as their hype would lead us to believe. Chockingly, it is also used to describe Cher, a woman who this reviewer feels is unfit to Chine Billie's Choes.

Because Billie...ah, Billie, SHE'S a Diva! This woman's voice is hypnotic, a Lucky Strike soaked in honey and absinthe. The songs are unaffected and powerful in a way only authenticity makes possible; Billie makes you FEEL her songs without resorting to histrionics. I am thoroughly convinced the Lady lived the blues long before she got around to singing 'em. The somewhat sparse musical arrangments are an absolute joy to listen to, and lend themselves incredibly well to Billie's voice. The horns almost seem to lead the listener simply by Suggestion, allowing Billie's voice to take center stage while the instruments mould themselves around her smokey lyrics like cognac poured across the rocks. I am completely smitten by this wonderful singer! Unwind in style with the music of a vanished era!

The Definitive Billie Holiday Collection!!!!
When I saw this while browsing at my local record store, I had to buy it. It had all the classics in 1 small package. It was an excellent value at only $8.99! Wow!

This CD (along with many other CDs in the Millennium Collection series) is an excellent value for the new or casual fan of Billie Holiday. It's remastered too so the sound quality is excellent. I loved the CD, especially Don't Explain (my all-time favorite Billie song) and Good Morning Heartache. The CD is WAY better than Ken Burns JAZZ Collection! *Highly recommended!*

If you liked this one, check out these titles from Billie Holiday:

This Is Jazz Volume 32: Billie Holiday Sings Standards
16 Most Requested Songs
Swing Brother Swing!
I'll Get By

I borrowed all of these other CDs from my local library (a great way to expand your digital library of classic jazz for no charge). They were pretty good. But none of these can match 20th Century Masters-Billie Holiday. This is the one Billie Holiday CD I wanted to keep for my own collection. Her voice, her style, her songs are so powerful and beautiful - all of these attributes are wonderfully displayed on this collection. Enjoy!

12 Tracks 41:05 total time~Hip-O/Verve 24.bit remastering.

A relaxing Holiday
One of the best. A great collection of her hits. While dining or just chilling, its a must have.

Skimpy, but well produced
Although not generously packed with tons of material, this is a thoughtfully-programmed selection of Holiday's later, non-Columbia material. Ten tracks, drawn from various sessions at Decca, Commodore, Clef and Verve, starting with "Strange Fruit" and ending with a 1956 live version of "God Bless The Child." This set is nice in that it avoids the usual emphasis on her difficult-sounding later performances, avoiding the tragedy-laced version of her career in favor of a more positive, musically triumphant telling of the tale. For a budget-line release, it's pretty darn nice.