Etta Tell Mama

Etta was one of the finest R&B singers of the 60s and early 70s, with an incredible voice and an amazing ability to interpret a song. This compilation contains a selection of her hits that she recorded with the Chess label during that period.

For "The Right Time" Etta James returns to the Muscle Shoals studio where she recorded "Tell Mama," this time with producer Jerry Wexler, and it's an outstanding match. She hits nary a forced or false note and is backed with a stellar band that includes saxophonist Hank Crawford, guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Willie Weeks. They plow ahead like a great offensive line blocking for an all-star running back - one who isn't afraid to lower the shoulder and knock somebody over. Etta just rocks naturally. It's like sitting next to a seasoned story teller in full command of the narrative. Nothing for you to do but sit back, close your eyes and listen.

After spending a few years in limbo after scoring her first R&B hits "Dance With Me, Henry" and "Good Rocking Daddy," Etta James returned to the spotlight in 1961 with her first Chess release, At Last. James made both the R&B and pop charts with the album's title cut, "All I Could Do Was Cry," and "Trust in Me." What makes At Last a great album is not only the solid hits it contains, but also the strong variety of material throughout. James expertly handles jazz standards like "Stormy Weather" and "A Sunday Kind of Love," as well as Willie Dixon's blues classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You." James demonstrates her keen facility on the title track in particular, as she easily moves from powerful blues shouting to more subtle, airy phrasing; her Ruth Brown-inspired, bad-girl growl only adds to the intensity. James would go on to even greater success with later hits like "Tell Mama," but on At Last one hears the singer at her peak in a swinging and varied program of blues, R&B, and jazz standards.

Jamesetta Hawkins, known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.