Product Reviews
Etta James has been showing people how it s done for over 50 years now (her first single, Roll with Me Henry, was tracked in 1955 when she was still a teenager), and her passionate, nuanced singing hasn t diminished one bit in the 21st century. Her earliest sides were blues-inflected R&B and soul numbers, but starting in the early '90s she expanded her material to include the Great American Songbook, tackling with style songs by composers like the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hart, and Cole Porter, and elegant versions of songs by rock artists like John Lennon and Prince, always bringing a weary, gritty grace to the table. This two-disc compilation set features some of the best sides she s recorded in the past two decades, including gems like her jazzy take on Cry Me a River and a heartbreaking version of Try a Little Tenderness. But the heart of James' approach to business is the blues, as the wonderful set opener here, The Blues Is My Business, states clearly, and her renditions collected here of Willie Dixon's Little Red Rooster and John Lee Hooker's Crawlin King Snake are clear highlights in a collection filled to the brim with highlights. She s not a diva -- she s the real deal. This summation of her past 20 years as a recording artist shows just how real she still is. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi
Product Notes
2010 two CD collection. From her early years as a diva of Rhythm & Blues, Etta James has since grown into a voice that literally transcends generations. It doesn't' matter whether she is singing an old standard, a Broadway hit, or a Rock 'n' Roll anthem, she is always reaching into a deep level of musical consciousness - a place primal yet sophisticated, struggling yet triumphant, scarred yet proud. The Essential Etta James covers her work over the last 20 years, from the Billie Holiday tribute album, Mystery Lady, to her most recent recording, the wide ranging All The Way, featuring music from John Lennnon, Prince, Leonard Bernstein and Marvin Gaye.