Customer Reviews

Burnin' Down the House: Live at the House of Blues

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have several Etta James titles and this one definitely kicks some serious .... Etta shows no fear whilst tackling a couple monumental rockers, (e.g. Take Me to the River, and Born to be Wild), and once again demonstrates her remarkable versatility. For the younsters in the crowd who were not around at the time of the Talking Heads release of Burning Down the House, let me assure you it definitley made the scene in a big way. Etta's rendition of Take Me to the River is energetic and inspired. Truthfully speaking, I would have a difficult time choosing between Etta and David Byrne. This CD is recorded live in 5.1 surround (if i recall correctly). The sonics and mixing are quite good and I routinely find my mid-fi 2 channel stereo system cranking out 60-70 watts per channel by the end of this cd. Talk about imaging! Next best thing to being there. Anyhow, I rarely post reviews at Amazon.com, so you won't find my name in a top xxxx list. I do know something about the blues, however, and felt obligated to comment upon this cd, as I was totally blown away to see the negative reviews of this recording. Burnin Down the House is a live set that more than lives up to it's title. Buy it!!

In 1963 Etta James recorded a superb live set entitled "ETTA JAMES ROCKS THE HOUSE". In 2002, thirty nine years later, this Lady can still rocks and even set the house on fire with "BURNIN'DOWN THE HOUSE". Etta outdid herself this time, she sounds powerful and confident, with almost fifty years in the music business, her expertise is evident. The musicians in the ROOTS BAND are terrific and give her a phenomenal back up. In such a long career, the songs associated with Etta James are so many, that makes this selection a very eclectic album. On track eleven, instead of "My funny Valentine", I would like to hear "Here I am (come and take me)" and it would be a totally Al Green's medley of the Al's songs recorded by Etta. Listen carefully this new live version of "At last", and you fall in love again with Etta's voice. The art of the album is quite good, but I wonder why there's only one shot of Etta, for a hardcore fan like me, it would be nicer to see more pictures of her performing on stage. To have Etta James' latest album, it's a must for every fan.

Some of the other reviews attack this on the basis that it is not as soulful as the 60's and 70's sets that we all know and love. Sure this is not 1962, but the band is on and it is a powerful well produced saucy set. The fact that she can put it out this strong after all of these years is a testament to her artistry. It is a nice blues rock sound and it never dissapointed anyone that has heard it with me. I understand the argument for purity but in this world everything evolves and this one gets a well deserved spot on my shelf next to the classics.

Etta James style has evolved greatly over the decades-----it is merely a matter of personal preference as to which period of her career is her best-----i love her recent work equally as much as her earliest work--she is an artist who continually grows,stretches,& shares her immense talents & life experience w/ her audience. In her most recent years her style has expanded towards jazz---(although she mixes many styles now)--& this recorded live performance is STUNNING!!!!!This performance leans heavily towards "jazzy blues"--I reccomend it highly,JUST BEAUTIFUL. It is as real as it gets---i love this cd,TY ETTA,from the bottom of my heart!

I hope many young artists have the energy and voice power this survivor of blues, heroin and wrong men has at 64. This is a powerful release. Etta remains a hurricane on stage and the band is solid as a rock.

Etta James Rocks on this cd! The Roots Band are in great shape and Etta's powerful voice is in great form for this 2001 concert, this is a Blues\R&B\Soul jam session! This is what a like about this Live cd is that Etta gets right to the songs not alot of talking between songs, this is another Live gem from Etta, add this to your collection.

Looking at the play list, I was really anticipating a power perfomance by one of my favorite R&B power vocalists. This, however, was not to be. To me this CD had the feel of someone going through the motions and pandering to an audience who wanted to see a "canned" Etta James performance. Too bad, because she can really be a force of nature when she's at her best. Check out The Essential Etta James' version of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" to see what I mean.

Overall: OK, but disappointing.

As many reviewers have stated, she speaks far more than she sings, and that is a disappointment from such a fine vocalist. She growls a lot, too. It's interesting to hear her interpretations of some unusual songs not normally in the blues repertoire. But the band is great. In fact, the band is the star of this recording.
So if you love Etta, you'll probably enjoy this disc. But it really is far from her best work. If you're new to Etta, you'd be better off starting with some of her earlier recordings.

Etta at her best!! The forgotten American songstress. Pray for her for at 73 she is not in good health. Etta owns "At Last", not Beyonce!!!!!!!!

RECORDED AT L.A.'S HOUSE OF BLUES IN 2001, THIS IS A GREAT LIVE ETTA JAMES CD. SHE IS AT THE TOP OF HER GAME ON THIS ONE, AND WHEN SHE'S ON, NOBODY CAN TOUCH HER. HER BACKUP BAND, "THE ROOTS BAND", KICKS SOME SERIOUS YOU KNOW WHAT AS WELL, AND FEATURES A VERY, VERY FAT HORN SECTION. ETTA JAMES' SINGING REALLY TURNED BACK THE CLOCK ON THIS RECORDING. I LOVE THE SECOND CUT, "I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU" WHICH THEN SEGUES INTO "BORN TO BE WILD" (THE OLD STEPPENWOLF SONG). HER VERSION OF "ALL THE WAY DOWN" ON THIS CD HAS A "CURTIS MAYFIELD-SUPERFLY" KIND OF A SOUND TO IT, VERY FUNKY. AND HER RENDITION OF "AT LAST" COULD VERY EASILY BECOME MY ALLTIME FAVORITE SLOW DANCING SONG OF ALL TIME. "YOUR GOOD THING IS ABOUT TO END" IS A GREAT TORCH SONG BY ISAAC HAYES AND DAVID PORTER (THE DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THIS SONG IS SUNG BY O.V. WRIGHT). THE ETTA JAMES CD "LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO" IS ANOTHER ONE WORTH PICKING UP AS WELL.