In addition to Walton, artists appearing on the album included Red Holloway on tenor saxophone and Dorothy Hawkins, James' mother, who provided vocals on the title track.

[1] AllMusic's Jonathan Widran described the album as having an "old school big band flavor" with a "bed of simmering brass"; instrumentation included bass, flugelhorn, guitar, piano, percussion, tenor saxophone, trombone and trumpet.

[1] The album opens with a rendition of Clyde Otis' "This Bitter Earth", a song popularized by Dinah Washington and later added to Aretha Franklin's repertoire,[5] followed by "He's Funny That Way" (Neil Moret, Richard A. Whiting).

According to Dorothy Hill, blues editor for Jazz Now, listeners can hear James "murmuring admiration" for Walton's piano work in the background of "He's Funny That Way".

Leading up to the album's close are Arthur Hamilton's "Cry Me a River", "Don't Blame Me" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh), and "My Man" which features a trombone solo by George Bohannon.

"[9] Isaac Guzman of the New York Daily News thought that the album showcased James' ability to "get inside the gentle nuances of classic torch songs and ballads".

[4] Billboard's Bill Holland called James and the material on Blue Gardenia a "near-perfect fit" after noting her "hit-or-miss relationship with standards" in the past.

[13] Lorraine Ali's review for Newsweek called Blue Gardenia a "smooth cocktail", suggesting that James' vocal performance reflected her difficult past.