Etta James

One of the all-time legendary female R&B artists, Etta James has been belting out the Blues longer than most of us have been alive. From the early 1950s when she was 'discovered' by Johnny Otis, with whom she co-wrote and recorded The Wallflower (which became an R&B chart Number 2 hit), she has had a string of successful blues hit songs. This culminated in her induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.For this show, recorded last year at The House Of Blues in Los Angeles, Etta James effortlessly switches between blues, rock 'n' roll, and jazz with ease. Classic songs such as Take Me To The River and You Can Leave Your Hat On are covered, in addition to some classics of her own, such as I'd Rather Go Blind and her signature tune At Last.

Etta James: The Montreux Years is released as part of a brand new Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG collection series “The Montreux Years”. The collections will uncover legendary performances by the world’s most iconic artists alongside rare and never-before-released recordings from the festival’s rich 55-year history, remastered in superlative audio. Each collection will be accompanied by exclusive liner notes and previously unseen photography.

To say Etta James was one of the most prolific jazz, soul and blues singers on the planet is a fact, to say her voice will never be matched by another is a fact, to say Etta James:Live At Montreux is the best compilation and showcase of her work is also a fact. It's a great album and has been on repeat in my car for weeks, even the omission of some of my faves couldn't put a damper on the sheer joy this album produces.

The singer in her precocious formative years, headed by her 1955 R&B smash "Roll With Me Henry" (aka "The Wallflower"). James' follow-ups included the driving "Good Rockin' Daddy," a bluesy "W-O-M-A-N," and the New Orleans raveup "Tough Lover," which found her backed by the gang at Cosimo's (notably saxman Lee Allen). Even though her tenure at Modern Records only produced a handful of hits, these 22 cuts are delightful artifacts of the belter's earliest days. The music and liner notes are identical to the previous R&B Dynamite reissue, except that the tracks have been slightly resequenced, and a couple of songs bear different titles ("Number One" has been changed to "My One and Only," "How Big a Fool" to "Call Me a Fool").