Give the Lady What She Wants cover

Give the Lady What She Wants

Lena Horne · 1958

34 min · 12 tracks · jazz

A celebration of lush orchestrations and Horne's sultry vocals, blending jazz standards with traditional pop elegance.

Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend — This track stands out due to its playful yet powerful delivery, showcasing Horne's ability to blend humor with vocal prowess, making it a defining moment of her career.
  • →
    People Will Say We’re in Love — Horne’s interpretation infuses this classic duet with warmth and sincerity, highlighting her ability to evoke deep emotion through subtle vocal nuances.
  • →
    Bewitched — The song's haunting melody is brought to life by Horne’s rich timbre, illustrating her extraordinary range and emotional depth as a vocalist.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

60 /100
Treeline
Higher than 66% of albums we've rated

Lena Horne's blend of jazz standards and orchestration creates a distinctive sound that showcases her vocal prowess.

What we noticed

  • The album features lush orchestral arrangements that complement Horne's vocals, with strings and brass prominently supporting her delivery.
  • Each track showcases a distinct jazz standard, often featuring tempo changes that highlight Horne's vocal versatility.
  • The first half of the album maintains a consistent mid-tempo pace, while the second half introduces more varied rhythms and dynamics.
Composition 25% of the score
7/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
6/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
7/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
6/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • short bursts of melodic charm
  • playful elegance with vintage flair
  • intimate late-night gatherings
  • sophisticated romance and nostalgia

Maybe skip if you

  • prefer lengthy instrumental pieces
  • want aggressive and fast-paced music

Where this album fits

Career context
Released in 1958, this album marked Lena Horne's return to the recording studio after a brief hiatus from music while focusing on her film career. It was her first studio album since the late 1940s, showcasing her evolution as an artist during a time when she was transitioning into television and concert performances, solidifying her status as a prominent entertainer.
Stylistic neighbors
Ella Fitzgerald· Billie Holiday· Sarah Vaughan

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend 2:14
  • 2 People Will Say We’re in Love 3:24
  • 3 Just in Time 2:57
  • 4 Honey in the Honeycomb 2:29
  • 5 You’d Better Know It 2:56
  • 6 Get Out of Town 2:25
  • 7 Baubles, Bangles and Beads 2:45
  • 8 Bewitched 3:14
  • 9 At Long Last Love 2:40
  • 10 Speak Low 3:28
  • 11 Love 3:22
  • 12 Let’s Put Out the Lights and Go to Sleep 2:11

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata