Personnel: Etta James (vocals); Josh Sklair (guitar); Red Holloway (saxophone); Ronnie Buttacavoli (trumpet, flugelhorn); Kraig Kilby (trombone); Cedar Walton (piano); Tony Dumas (bass); Ralph Penland (drums, percussion).

Recorded at Ocean Way Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by David Ritz.

MYSTERY LADY: SONGS OF BILLIE HOLIDAY won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

Q (8/94, p.102) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...sub-titled SONGS OF BILLIE HOLIDAY...whoever had the idea is a visionary. For a start, Etta James is so distinctive, and so dissimilar to Holiday...instead we get a 100 percent personal tribute, with a body and soul of its own..."

Vibe (8/94, p.108) - "...The arrangements by Cedar Walton nicely split the difference between Holiday's uptown vibe and James's own barbecue-joint roots. An elegant and earthy performance all the way around..."

Musician (6/94, p.78) - "...MYSTERY LADY is a gem whose musicality and depths of feeling bear comparison with the best records of James' or Holiday's career...[Etta James] finds the bluesy thread that connects her R&B heritage with the jazz standards of Holiday's era..."