ETTA JAMES – Love's Been Rough on Me (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Love's Been Rough on Me is a terrific latter-day album from Etta James, capturing her at the peak of her powers. James' voice has diminished only slightly over the course of her career, and she knows how to make such warhorses as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" sound fresh. She also invests contemporary music, including John Berry's contemporary country hit "If I Had Any Pride Left at All," with real soul. The result is a record that delivers the real goods with grace and style. Leo Stanley
Tracklist :
1     The Rock 3:33
Ruby Smith / Jim Varsos
2     Cry Like a Rainy Day 5:21
Greg Barnhill / Kenny Greenberg
3     Love's Been Rough on Me 3:09
Gretchen Peters
4     Love It or Leave It Alone 5:28
Lara Cody / Will Jennings / John Keller
5     Don't Touch Me 3:57
Hank Cochran
6     Hold Me (Just a Little Longer Tonight) 3:47
Graham Lyle / Troy Seals
7     If I Had Any Pride Left at All 3:49
John Greenebaum / Troy Seals / Eddie Setser
8     I Can Give You Everything 3:15
Al Anderson / Terry Anderson
9     I've Been Loving You Too Long 4:20
Jerry Butler / Otis Redding
10     Done in the Dark 4:19
Etta James / Josh Sklair

ETTA JAMES – Life, Love & the Blues (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Life, Love & the Blues is slick, funky, and thoroughly commercial. The queen of R&B does an admirable job of keeping her head above water, but this package of covers comes off more like the work of a tight lounge band than the work of a blues master. Tim Sheridan
Tracklist :
1     Born Under a Bad Sign 3:28
William Bell / Booker T. Jones
2     I Want to Ta-Ta You Baby 5:56
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
3     Here I Am (Come and Take Me) 4:55
Al Green / Mabon "Teenie" Hodges
4     Running Out of Lies 5:03
Paul Jordan
5     Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) 7:01
Marvin Gaye / James Nyx, Jr. / James Nyx
6     Spoonful 4:09
Willie Dixon
7     Life, Love & the Blues 5:17
 Etta James / Josh Sklair
8     Hoochie Coochie Gal 4:24
Willie Dixon
9     Cheatin' in the Next Room 4:57
George Jackson
10     If You Want Me to Stay 5:21
Sylvester Stewart
11     The Love You Save (May Be Your Own) 4:01
Joe Tex
12     I'll Take Care of You 4:58
Brook Benton
Credits :    
Arranged By [Horn Arrangements] – Lee Thornburg (faixas: 1, 4, 11), Tom Poole (faixas: 2, 3, 12)
Bass – Sametto James
Drums, Percussion – Donto James
Guitar – Leo Nocentelli, Bobby Murray
Guitar, Dobro – Josh Sklair
Keyboards – Dave Mathews
Lead Guitar [Lead] – Josh Sklair (faixas: 3), Bobby Murray (faixas: 12)
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Mike Finnigan
Saxophone, Harmonica – Jimmy Z
Soloist, Dobro – Josh Sklair (faixas: 1, 8)
Soloist, Guitar – Bobby Murray (faixas: 2, 11)
Talkbox [Talk Box] – Josh Sklair (faixas: 9)
Trumpet – Tom Poole
Trumpet, Valve Trombone – Lee Thornburg
Vocals, Liner Notes – Etta James

ETTA JAMES – Heart Of A Woman (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

There's no denying that Etta James is a powerhouse, one of the finest blues singers of the 20th century. Perhaps that's what makes her latter-day records so frustrating: The talent is still apparent and abundant, but the albums themselves are unsatisfying. All the ingredients are in the right place, but something went slightly awry during the execution. After all, Heart of a Woman is a great idea for an album. James chose 11 love songs from her favorite female singers -- Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Carmen McRae -- augmenting the album with a new version of her signature song, "At Last." She has recorded several of these songs before (including Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," which inexplicably became a standard for both her and McRae), but the difference with Heart of a Woman is the context. Here, they're put in a smooth jazz setting, masterminded by James, who has producer credit. No matter how well she sings the songs here -- and she still possesses an exceptionally strong voice, robust and filled with passion -- the well-scrubbed, glossy surfaces on the record keeps it from being engaging. It's not bad listening, it just never has the emotional impact James intended it to have. At times, it's hard not to wish that she worked with a producer who brought her back to the organic sound of her classic '50s and '60s sessions, but James has been pursuing this smoothed-out style for a decade now. It's clear that this is what she wants to do. She still sounds good, and that means her latter-day albums are listenable -- but they don't resonate like the best of her records. Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist :
1     You Don't Know What Love Is 5:28
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
2     Good Morning Heartache 5:28
Ervin Drake / Dan Fisher / Irene Higginbotham
3     My Old Flame 6:20
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
4     Say It Isn't So 4:55
Irving Berlin    
5     At Last 4:40
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren    
6     Tenderly 5:27
Walter Gross / Jack Lawrence
7     I Only Have Eyes for You 6:35
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
8     I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 6:25
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
9     You Go to My Head
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie 4:21     
10     A Sunday Kind of Love 6:00
Barbara Belle / Anita Leonard / Louis Prima / Stan Rhodes
11     If It's the Last Thing I Do 5:47
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin    
12     Only Women Bleed 4:48
Alice Cooper / Dick Wagner
Notas.
"This Album is dedicated to Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae - Etta James"

ETTA JAMES – Matriarch of the Blues (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Having long ago established herself among the royalty of modern blues, Queen Etta seems rather content to sit back on her throne and her laurels and coast through a collection of classic and contemporary compositions. Unfortunately, her descendant band appears equally happy to sit back with her instead of working to shoot up the standards with another round of youthful vitality. The album opens with a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" which serves more as a sleepy suggestion than a blues-injected imperative. While Al Green's "Rhymes" sounds very much like the Reverend, Etta's version of "Try a Little Tenderness" does phrase the slow dance in some subtly new directions. The real difference shows up about midway through when the Matriarch takes on the Glitter Twins with a raunchy slink through "Miss You" whose draggier pace and intermittent woofs gives the song that much more sex appeal. Otis Redding's "Hawg for Ya" slops with similar raunch. Ms. James does change things up with an educated and edifying stripped "Let's Straighten It Out" which builds musically as Etta lays down lessons of love and the woman's heart. Another exciting change is the funkification of John Fogerty's "Born on the Bayou" which strains the Clearwater through JB's "Hot Pants." After a gentle shout and sway through Brother Ray Charles' "Come Back Baby," the Queen retakes her throne while taking back her royal pet "Hound Dog" from the King with a swampy rendition of the Lieber and Stoller classic that appears to be more born on the bayou than that track. Matthew Robinson
Tracklist :
1     Gotta Serve Somebody 6:48
Bob Dylan
2     Don't Let My Baby Ride 5:16
Deadric Malone
3     Rhymes 4:35
Al Green / Mabon "Teenie" Hodges 4:47
4     Try a Little Tenderness
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Harry Woods
5     Miss You 5:59
Mick Jagger / Keith Richards   
6     Hawg For Ya 3:45
Otis Redding
7     You're Gonna Make Me Cry 6:17
Deadric Malone   
8     Walking The Back Streets 7:07
Unknown   
9     Let's Straighten It Out 5:24
Benny Latimore   
10     Born on the Bayou 4:41
John Fogerty
11     Come Back Baby 5:57
Ray Charles / Lightnin' Hopkins   
12     Hound Dog 3:43
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller
Credits :   
Etta James - Vocals
Mike Finnigan – Hammond Organ
Donto Metto James – Drums, Percussion
Sametto James – Bass
Bobby Murray, Leo Nocentelli – Guitar
Tom Poole – Trumpet
Josh Sklair – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Rhythm arrangements, Slide guitar
Jimmy Zavala – Harmonica, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

ETTA JAMES – Blue Gardenia (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The legendary blues singer indeed lives up to the silly cliché about being able to sing the phone book and make it sound rich, meaningful, and soulful. Still, it's always exciting to hear her tackle materials she's missed before. Here she shifts gears impressively into the intimate jazz club mode, performing beautifully arranged takes on a wide variety of standards (from "Come Rain or Come Shine" to "Cry Me a River") under the direction of producer John Snyder and arranger/pianist Cedar Walton. Those two gathered a handful of great jazz players and recorded the initial tracks without James, who had a touch of the flu. A few months later she had recovered and did the amazing vocal sessions which truly sound live and in synch with the music. Beginning with the redemptive theme of "This Bitter Earth," each song allows her to explore both tenderness and guttural emotions, even a little irony on clever twists like "He's Funny That Way." There are also perfectly placed spotlights for the featured musicians. "This Bitter Earth" and "He's Funny That Way" feature a thoughtful improvisation by Walton, while Duke Ellington's "In My Solitude" has a passionate interlude by tenor saxophonist Red Holloway. Most of the vocals are textured over a bed of simmering brass, adding to the old school big band flavor that creates the atmosphere for the project. It's certainly common for great artists to thank their parents for various influences, but James goes one step further on the title track, allowing her mom to sing the tune; mom is no match for her daughter, but it's still a unique touch that adds emotional dimension to an already emotionally rich affair. Jonathan Widran
Tracklist :
1     This Bitter Earth 4:20
Clyde Otis    
2     He's Funny That Way 6:00
Neil Moret / Richard A. Whiting
3     In My Solitude 5:16
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
4     There Is No Greater Love 5:18
Isham Jones / Marty Symes
5     Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying 5:18
Joe Greene
6     Love Letters 3:59
Edward Heyman / Victor Young
7     These Foolish Things 5:14
Harry Link / Holt Marvell / Jack Strachey
8     Come Rain or Come Shine 5:39
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
9     Don't Worry 'Bout Me 5:52
Rube Bloom / Ted Koehler
10     Cry Me a River 5:02
Arthur Hamilton
11     Don't Blame Me
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
12     My Man 5:09
Channing Pollack / Maurice Yvain
13     Blue Gardenia 5:07
Lester Lee / Bob Russell
Credits :    
Bass – Tony Dumas
Drums – Ralph Penland
Guitar – Josh Sklair
Percussion – Ron Powell (tracks: 6)
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone – Red Holloway
Trombone – George Bohannon
Trumpet – Rick Baptist (tracks: 6)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ronnie Buttacavoli
Vocals – Etta James
Vocals [Vocal] – Dorothy Leatherwood (tracks: 13)

ETTA JAMES - Blues to the Bone (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Etta James has worked in countless styles throughout her long career, and she is equally at home singing gospel, R&B, soul, jazz, and even rock & roll, but her roots have always been solidly planted in the blues, and she is arguably the finest living singer active in the genre. Perhaps because she doesn't sing only the blues, however, when she does, it sticks out as something special, and with Blues to the Bone she goes down to the river and dives in completely, turning out a solid album of no-frills, gutbucket performances. Her voice has deepened and coarsened over the years, making it the perfect vehicle of authenticity and authority as she tackles classics of the genre like John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake," Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom," and Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning," backed by a garage blues combo led by her sons, Donito and Sametto James. James' versions bring new dimensions to each of these hoary old chestnuts, which have generally been sung by men, and her smoke-tinged alto makes each her own, instilling them all with a wise, desperate, and confident intimacy. She gives Jimmy Reed's "Hush Hush" a solid reading, while her take on Willie Dixon's "Lil' Red Rooster" is a tension-filled, atmospheric gem. The most striking track here, however, is James' version of the Elmore James tune "The Sky Is Crying," which emerges as epic and poignant. Much of contemporary blues spins on its own excesses and on a hundred years of accumulative clichés, but when an artist like Etta James comes home to sing the blues, the world has to rejoice and take notice, because in her hands the old clichéd phrases become vital and new again. Steve Leggett  
Tracklist :
1    Got My Mojo Working 3:34
Bass – Sametto James
Drums, Percussion – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Preston Foster
2    Don't Start Me Talkin' 2:52
Bass – Sametto James
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Piano – Mike Finnegan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Sonny Boy Williamson
3    Hush Hush 3:34
Bass – Sametto James
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Jimmy Reed
4    Lil' Red Rooster 3:54
Bass – Sametto James
Dobro – Josh Sklair
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Willie Dixon
5    That's Alright 3:42
Bass – Sametto James
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Slide Guitar – Brian Ray
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Jimmy Rogers
6    Crawlin' King Snake 5:32
Bass – Sametto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker
7    Dust My Broom 3:35
Bass – Sametto James
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Robert Johnson
8    The Sky Is Crying 3:59
Guitar – Brian Ray
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Clarence Lewis, Elmore James, Morgan Robinson
9    Smokestack Lightnin' 6:50
Bass – Sametto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Percussion – Donto James
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett
10    You Shook Me 3:51
Bass – Sametto James
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – J.B. Lenoir, Willie Dixon
11    Driving Wheel 2:59
Bass – Sametto James
Dobro – Josh Sklair
Drums – Donto James
Guitar – Josh Sklair, Bobby Murray
Harmonica – John "Juke" Logan
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Roosevelt Sykes
12    Honey, Don't Tear My Clothes 3:31
Guitar, Dobro – Josh Sklair
Vocals – Etta James
Written-By – Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins

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

ETTA JAMES - Let's Roll (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

These days, the blues market often functions as a sanctuary for R&B artists who still provide soul and/or funk as we knew it in the '60s and '70s. Sounding a lot like Sam & Dave or Wilson Pickett won't get you on urban contemporary radio -- actually, it will probably keep you off urban radio -- but it might result in a gig at the Chicago Blues Festival or a contract with Alligator Records. For Etta James, refusing to embrace urban contemporary-style R&B has meant two things: (1) zero airplay on modern black stations, and (2) an enthusiastic following in the blues market. James has always been more of an R&B singer than a blues singer, but because she's so rootsy by today's standards, this 2003 release will get much of its support from blues fans. James, who turned 65 on January 25, 2003, is in fine form throughout the CD. Over the years, James has worked with a variety of producers, but she produced Let's Roll herself -- and the result is one of her most rock-minded releases. A few of the tracks have a blues-rock outlook, including "The Blues Is My Business" and a gutsy performance of Billy Beck's early-'50s hit "Stacked Deck." But much of the time, James favors a rock-influenced approach to Southern soul. In fact, many of the selections recall Ike & Tina Turner's '60s and early-'70s output, especially "Strongest Weakness," "Lie No Better," and "Somebody to Love" (not to be confused with the psychedelic Jefferson Airplane classic). James' longtime fans will be happy to know that she is very much on top of her game throughout this excellent CD. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1     Somebody to Love 5:48
Delbert McClinton / Gary Nicholson   
2     The Blues Is My Business 3:33
Kevin Bowe / Todd Cherney
3     Leap of Faith 4:00
Glen Clarke / Gary Nicholson
4     Strongest Weakness 4:53
Bekka Bramlett / Gary Nicholson   
5     Wayward Saints of Memphis 5:42
Kevin Bowe / Delbert McClinton   
6     Lie No Better 3:31
Gary Nicholson   
7     Trust Yourself 4:45
Kevin Bowe
8     A Change Is Gonna Do Me Good 5:23
Al Anderson / Bob DiPiero
9     Old Weakness 3:12
Gary Nicholson
10     Stacked Deck 8:01
Billy Wright   
11     On the 7th Day 5:01
Kevin Bowe   
12     Please, No More 4:40
David Egan
Credits :   
Bass – Sametto James
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Donto James
Electric Guitar – Bobby Murray
Electric Guitar, Guitar [12-string, Slide], Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Synthesizer – Josh Sklair
Piano, Organ [Hammond B-3], Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Vocals, Producer – Etta James
Saxophone [Tenor & Baritone], Harmonica – Jimmy "Z" Zavala
Trumpet – Tom Poole
Trumpet, Trombone – Lee R. Thornburg

ETTA JAMES - All the Way (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After her tough blues and R&B records in the early years of the 21st century -- 2003's Let's Roll and 2004's Blues to the Bone -- Etta James throws a quiet storm changeup. All the Way's 11 tracks are pop songs -- indeed, a few are standards -- written between the 1930s and the 1990s. James song choices are curious. The Great American Songbook tunes include the title track (written by Samuel Kahn and Jimmy Van Heusen), Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere" from West Side Story, and even Bob Telson's "Calling You" from the score to the 1987 film Baghdad Cafe -- it's been recorded by everyone from Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion to Jeff Buckley and Gal Costa. Unfortunately, nothing gets added in the offering; these are decent if not remarkable renditions. Beginning with track two, James offers her own bead on what a "standard" is with her excellent rendering of Bobby Womack's "Stop on By," (as read through the Boz Scaggs fakebook). James acted as executive producer on this set, which was actually produced by her sons Sametto and Donto Metto James (the rhythm section here), as well as guitarist Joshua Skair. It's overly polished, and that's just the beginning of the problems to be found on the album. The crystalline, laid-back beat, shimmering layered keyboards, and light funky guitar are the hallmarks of a modern adult contemporary soul style that is also employed on a nearly seven-minute cover of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's laid-back soul-blues classic "Strung Out." The really curious moments here are her funk-lite take of Mick Hucknall's (Simply Red) "Holding Back the Years," and a rather boring cover of John Lennon's "Imagine"; they appear back to back here. The other odd sequencing is the way James juxtaposes R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," Prince's "Purple Rain," and Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin On." (co-written with Al Cleveland and Renaldo Benson). This quartet of tunes makes profound sense, though, as they are all tracks by some of the great African-American song composers in history. The problem lies in the interpretation. Kelly's true, positive-thinking anthem becomes a sensitive ballad in James' treatment of it, removing its life and making it a syrupy sun poem. Likewise, "What's Goin' On" is nearly too polished, and feels more like a meditation on the past than a song interpreted to reflect the urgency of the day -- which it most certainly does. The lavish flamenco intro to the Brown tune is a bit off-putting in terms of its slickness, but the smoky, militantly female reading redeems it and makes it one of the album's best tunes. Which leaves the Prince cover: with its compressed acoustic guitar and Sklair's electric fills, dovetailed by a Rhodes piano, James reinterprets this as a mature soul workout. She adds depth, dimension, and underscores how timeless a tune it is by adding more tough-love R&B to its gospel flair. It should have been chosen to close the disc. Despite her best intentions and the authority of her voice, All the Way is far from perfect. Compared to her last two outings, it simply pales. The ambition of the concept does not yield the hoped-for results in the packaging. Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1    All The Way 3:37
Written-By – Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen
2    Stop On By 4:08
Written-By – Bobby Womack, Truman Thomas
3    Strung Out 7:12
Written-By – Johnny "Guitar" Watson
4    Somewhere 2:15
Written-By – Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
5    Holding Back The Years 4:18
Written-By – Michael James Hucknall, Neil Moss
6    Imagine 3:39
Written-By – John Lennon
7    I Believe I Can Fly 5:10
Written-By – Robert Kelly
8    It's A Man's Man's Man's World 4:53
Written-By – Betty Jean Newsome, James Brown
9    Purple Rain 5:45
Written-By – Prince
10    What's Going On 4:27
Written-By – Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson
11    Calling You 6:14
Written-By – Robert E. Telson
Credits :    
Electric Guitar – Robert Murray
Keyboards, Strings, Orchestrated By [Keyboard Orchestration] – David K. Mathews
Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals, Engineer – Sametto James
Producer, Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Engineer – Donto James
Producer, Music Director, Arranged By, Backing Vocals, Engineer – Joshua Sklair
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ronnie Buttacavoli
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Etta James

ETTA JAMES - The Dreamer (2011) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Apparently, Etta James' musical career ends with The Dreamer. The legendary vocalist announced a few months back that this would be her final album; she's retiring from music in order to deal with serious medical issues. Co-produced by James, Josh Sklair, and her sons Danto and Sametto, The Dreamer's 11 tracks offer an imperfect but utterly worthy portrait of the places she's been musically with a couple of selections that reveal her dictum that "every song is a blues." Her signature meld of soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, and country are all on display here. The production underscores her lifelong commitment to these styles and suits the material at large. Her musical accompanists include not only her co-producers, but guitarists Leo Nocentelli and Big Terry de Rouen, saxophonist Jimmy Z., trombonist Kraig Kilby, and trumpeter Lee Thornburg. Ms. James' choice of material is rigorous even if two of its selections are questionable: the cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" doesn't lend itself well to the choogling boogie arrangement here; and the funkified reading of contemporary country stars Little Big Town's "Boondocks" sounds like she tried too hard to make it fit. These cuts aside, the rest of the material is vintage; it reflects the work of Ms. James' influences and contemporaries. Her readings of Otis Redding's "Cigarettes & Coffee" and "Champagne & Wine," Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer," Bob Montgomery's country-pop standard "Misty Blue," Ray Charles' "In the Evening," Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "That's the Chance You Take" and "Too Tired," and Little Milton's "Let Me Down Easy" all contain within them not only their original traces, but the musical experience necessary to bring their subtler, deeper meanings to the fore. She re-creates these songs not as mere touchstones or mementos from a career, but as signposts to the living, breathing tradition that bears the signature and considerable influence of her life upon them. The Dreamer is a fitting -- if not perfect -- bookend to one of American popular music's most iconic lives. Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1     Groove Me 4:40
King Floyd
2     Champagne & Wine 3:58
Roy Johnson / Otis Redding / Allan Walden
3     Dreamer 4:58
Bobby "Blue" Bland
4     Welcome to the Jungle 3:01
Saul Hudson / Axl Rose    
5     Misty Blue 4:58
Bob Montgomery
6     Boondocks 4:12
Karen Fairchild / Wayne Kirkpatrick / Kimberly Roads / Phillip Sweet / Jimi Westbrook
7     Cigarettes & Coffee 6:22
Jerry Butler / Otis Redding / Eddie Thomas / Jay Walker
8     In the Evening 4:47
Ray Charles
9     Too Tired 2:32
Joe Josea / Jules Taub / Johnny "Guitar" Watson
10     That's the Chance You Take 3:48
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
11     Let Me Down Easy 7:04
James Milton Campbell Jr.