ETTA JAMES - Burnin' Down the House (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Playing Burnin' Down the House right after you have listened to some of Etta James' early recordings is quite revealing. The veteran soul/blues singer was only 16 when, in 1954, she made her first recordings for Modern records; she was 63 when this excellent live album was recorded at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA, in December 2001 -- and it is obvious that vocally, she didn't lose anything along the way. Backed by a tight and rock-solid band, James demonstrates that her big, full voice lost none of its richness between 1954 and 2001. The Los Angeles native sounds as vital as ever, and she has no problem going that extra mile on gutsy performances of "Something's Got a Hold on Me," "I'd Rather Go Blind," "At Last," and other hits. For the most part, this is a soul concert; however, James makes a triumphant detour into electric urban blues on "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (one of the many Willie Dixon gems that Muddy Waters recorded for Chess in the '50s) and B.B. King's "Rock Me, Baby." The veteran singer pleasantly surprises us with some unlikely medleys; "I Just Want to Make Love to You" is successfully combined with Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild," and even more intriguing is her ability to unite the standard "My Funny Valentine" with two of Al Green's '70s hits ("Love and Happiness" and "Take Me to the River"). Some longtime fans may be disappointed to learn that she doesn't perform either "Tell Mama" or "Roll with Me, Henry," aka "The Wallflower"; regardless, Burnin' Down the House is an exciting and powerful document of James at 63. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1    Introduction    0:50
2    Come To Mama 5:13
Soloist [Solo], Guitar – Josh Sklair
Written-By – Earl Randall
3.a    I Just Want To Make Love To You 5:21
Soloist [Solo], Harmonica – Jimmy "Z" Zavala
Written-By – Willie Dixon
3.b    Born To Be Wild
Written-By – Bonfire Mars
4    I'd Rather Go Blind 6:21
Written-By – Billy Foster, Ellington Jordan
5    All The Way Down 6:30
Written-By – Catherine Williamson, Gabe Mekler, Trevor Lawrence
6    At Last 4:44
Soloist [Solo], Flugelhorn – Ronnie Buttacavoli
Written-By – Harry Warren
7    You Can Leave Your Hat On 5:33
Soloist [Solo], Guitar – Bobby Murray
Written-By – Randy Newman
8    Something's Got A Hold On Me 5:10
Soloist [Solo], Organ [Hammond B-3] – Mike Finnigan
Written-By – Etta James, Leroy Kirkland, Pearl Woods
9    Your Good Thing Is About To End 7:40
Soloist [Solo], Guitar – Josh Sklair
Soloist [Solo], Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy "Z" Zavala
Written-By – David Porter, Isaac Hayes
10    Rock Me Baby 4:28
Soloist [Solo], Harmonica – Jimmy "Z" Zavala
Written-By – B.B. King, Joe Josea
11.a    Love & Happiness 9:53
Written-By – Al Green, Lewis Mabon Hodges
11.b    Take Me To The River
Written-By – Al Green, Lewis Mabon Hodges
11.c    My Funny Valentine
Soloist [Solo], Trumpet – Ronnie Buttacavoli
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
12    Sugar On The Floor 11:04
Written-By – Pauline Matthews
Credits :    
Arranged By [Horns] – Lee R. Thornburg
Band – The Roots Band
Engineer – Jay Newland, Kathy Yore
Performer [The Roots Band], Baritone Saxophone – David L. Woodford
Performer [The Roots Band], Bass – Sametto James
Performer [The Roots Band], Drums, Other [M V P] – Donto James
Performer [The Roots Band], Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Synthesizer [Roland Rd 600 (Piano, Rhodes Piano, Clavinet, Strings, Piano)] – David K. Mathews
Performer [The Roots Band], Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Performer [The Roots Band], Organ [Hammond B-3] – Mike Finnigan
Performer [The Roots Band], Percussion – Luis Conte
Performer [The Roots Band], Tenor Saxophone, Harmonica – Jimmy "Z" Zavala
Performer [The Roots Band], Trumpet – Tom Poole
Performer [The Roots Band], Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ronnie Buttacavoli
Performer [The Roots Band], Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone – Lee R. Thornburg