This admirable series from Bear Family gets
round to one of the greats, Etta James.
I have to admit that I did not know the name Etta James in the fifties, and only discovered her when rock n roll morphed into soul in the sixties, when I heard that magnificent voice singing 'Tell Mama', I'd Rather Go Blind' and Otis Redding's
'Security', as she followed Otis into what was now called soul, but which they both sang using exactly the same great vocal skills they had used in the rock n roll sphere earlier. Because of that I traced her career backwards and discovered the fabulous music she had cut in the fifties, much of which adorns this super collec-tion.
The 29 tracks here cover the period from 1954 to two cuts from her magnificent live LP, 'Etta James Rocks The House', recorded at Nashville's New Era Club in November 1963. Her vocal style was shaped in the Baptist Church, leaving her unmistakable voice with a raucous edge of passion, so loved by the church and rock n rollers alike; just listen to the opener,
'Tough Lover', her Little Richardesque fast rocker from Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans studio in 1956, with
Earl Palmer driving the
whole thing and Lee Allen adding a magic solo, as Etta did her amazing Penniman thing. You'll know many of these masterpieces, but I have to mention 'W-O-M-A-N', her response to Bo Diddley (and Muddy Waters') 'M-A-N', with its archetypical slow blues rock n roll riff leaving you in no doubt she is a woman, and, also from 1955, her 'Good Rocking Daddy', a gorgeously sensuous shuffle with Richard Berry, Harvey Fuqua and Max Davis' wonderful sax riff. By 1960 she had left the Modern group of labels and landed with Chess, where she produced a magnificent version of Willie Dixon's 1 Just Want To Make Love To You', a blues treated in deep r&b fashion with the tremendous addition of Riley Hampton's string arrangement. God!
These are great records!
There are a good few less well-known masterpieces too. 'Plum Nuts', which has a big band treatment, but which Etta sings, no, shouts, on an almost monotone. This may not sound promising, but the passion she puts into it, and the way the band wrap around her vocal with such rock n roll empathy is just downright fab.
'Baby, Baby Every Night' is a lovely rhythmic pop r&b number which Etta sells so well, ably abetted by The Flairs. She did a different version of her first (1954) hit 'The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry)' using the bowdlerised title that white cover artist Georgia Gibbs had used, 'Dance With Me Henry', and Etta's 1956 version is, to my ears, much better. It was done in New Orleans with that band and rocks harder and faster. Her 'Shortnin' Bread Rock' is the nursery song done with the greatest hep sensibility and power, added to by Maxwell Davis' sax solo.
Etta could sing anything and make it sound fabulous, so when the material is good, a jewel emerges. The poppy r&b of 'I'm A Fool', with Dave Bartholomew singing the bass parts, is far better than it might have been because of Etta's voice, her commitment, and her sheer talent.
Even poor material is made good by her perfor-mance. There isn't a single poor track here. In fact, Etta James makes everything at least
"good". Proof of her greatness came with her live LP, recorded in 1963. Here are included
'What'd I Say' and 'Baby What You Want Me To Do', and before you moan at the overfamiliarity of these two numbers, give them a listen.
Brother Ray's classic is given a belting version with her most raucous voice, the best I have ever heard after the original, and Jimmy Reed's mid-tempo biggie is treated to a slow bluesy bump and grind, with Etta using the dynamics of her voice, from roar to submissive sensuality, perfectly, even doing a superb wordless improvisation where the harmonica was.
I loved this CD. Etta James really does rock.
She is a genuine great.
