Many people argue that by this time Billie Holiday's voice was shot after years of drugs, alcohol, and jail time – but I have acquired a preference for her later Verve recordings (and also highly recommend the complete box set for true fans – which unfortunately has undergone a bad makeover packaging-wise since I purchased it). Unlike her famous Decca and Columbia recordings of the 30's and 40's (which are still wonderful) there is a genuine despair and a gritty unpolished feel to this and other later albums that, I feel, portray more genuine emotion and pain than almost anything I have ever heard. This album is not widely available but can be purchased on iTunes.
But what do you think?