Search - Billie Holiday :: Remixed & Reimagined (Dig)

Agnieszka S. from DES PLAINES, IL
Reviewed on 8/22/2009...

I love the mix of jazz, beat, rythym and her beautiful soul songs. I am so happy I got this one and I am not parting with it. ;-)

2 1/2 stars - Remixed, Ruined & Disrespected

W. E. Phillips | USA | 09/03/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I will start off by saying this: I did not enjoy the Nina Simone remixed album. Still, I bought this because I wanted to give the idea another chance, and maybe this one was better. Although I enjoyed this collection a bit more, I am still very disappointed.



This disc has all the same problems as the Nina Simone album of the same title; the vocals of legendary Billie Holiday are treated as just another pro-tool by most of the producers. They are chopped up, blurred, distorted and some are neglected and left out of the mixes altogether. Her voice is burried in the mix of extremely repetitive, long and anti-climactic backdrops of lounge music and quite frankly, the emotion and feeling is lost for me. Some of the remixes sound like they put her records on and they just kept on skipping and skipping on the same lyric, over and over again. And as sad as I am to say this, Billie is almost never the main focus.



I did actually enjoy a few. "I Hear Music" is quite energetic, I like the modern touch to "Spreadin' Rhythm Around" and "Glad To Be Unhappy" was pretty nice, too. The others were just a blur for me. A very annoying, drawn out blur. Is this a good CD to play in the background of a small get together or a store? Sure. Is this for you if you like lounge music? Probably, yes. Is it a good thing to put on when cleaning? Why not? But can I sit down, listen to it and appreciate it? No. I'll stick to the originals, thanks."

Reimagined imaginatively

heyamishgirl | Washington, DC United States | 09/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a Billie Holiday purist, as some of these other reviewers seem to be, this is not the CD for you. But if your taste in music ranges from classic jazz to downtempo, this is a terrific compilation.



True, Billie Holiday's voice is borrowed in bits and piece and the songs are not played all the way, per se, but I think the mixes highlight the genius of her phrasing and range of voice. She sounds completely contemporary, as if she had sung the songs for the tracks. I also liked the range of styles included. With some CDs of this sort, you get things that sound like they blend together (and not in a good way), but on this CD, each song has a unique presence.



In "Spreadin' the Rhythm Around" the RR Remix, you can almost picture her with Lady Bug on a stage in one of those live let's-bring-together-all-kinds-of-artists performances, that often disappoints, but sometimes produces concert magic. The energy is contagious.



Another one of my favorites is Poppyseed's remix of "He Ain't Got Rhythm" which juxtoposes an excellent rhythm section against the words of the song. The message, unsung, is that she has enough rhythm for both of them.



Love it!"