Etta James - Gold (CD)

All Music Guide

Because of her bluesbased comeback in the '90s, Etta James is usually thought of by the general public if she's thought of at all as a blues singer, but there's a good deal more to the picture than that, and this wellchosen and stunningly varied twodisc, 36track anthology provides strong evidence that Etta James has long been one of the best singers of her generation in any style. In many ways James resembles a female Ray Charles in her unerring ability to tackle (and sometimes combine) all of the strands of American popular music, from rock roll to RB, blues, country, gospel, jazz, and pure pop and soul, while still maintaining a distinct feel and sound that is all her own, and she has done this throughout a five decade career that is astounding for its consistency. This wellchosen compilation covers the whole span of that career, beginning with 1955's "Dance with Me Henry" (an answer song to Hank Ballard's "Roll with Me Annie") and ending with her amazing reimagining of Elmore Ja...mes' "The Sky Is Crying" from 2004. In between this set shows off the range of this impressive artist, who tackles everything from orchestral pop (her signature "At Last" from 1960), torch songs ("Don't Cry Baby" from 1961), gospel ("Something's Got a Hold on Me" from 1962), and heartwrenching soul ("Tell Mama" and "I'd Rather Go Blind," both from 1967) to the unclassifiable (Randy Newman's gothic and lusty "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" from 1974). Most of James' key and signature tracks are included, and this set compares favorably with 1993's The Essential Etta James from MCA/Chess in that regard. Several of James' original albums are classics, but listeners should particularly check out 1961's At Last from Chess Records (it was actually first released on the Argo subsidiary) and 2004's blues masterpiece Blues to the Bone from RCA. - Steve Leggett, All Music Guide Read more Less