"The soundscapes she constructs as she turns her attentions to standards and blues associated with Holiday is her most edgy and radical departure from a classic jazz format ... Listening to 'Coming Forth by Day' is a descent into a dark sonic maelstrom, a bass-heavy swirl of instruments, tape loops and washes of strings. Wilson's husky, smoky blue vocals are blended into this mix, hauntingly evoking, yet strikingly contrasting with Holiday's original recordings ... 'Coming Forth by Day' is an adventurous and challenging recording, especially for listeners locked into their preconceptions of Holiday's music, but for those willing to take the plunge, Cassandra Wilson once again proves that a viable tradition must look forward as it looks back".