Customer Reviews

Etta James Rocks The House

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This album rivals B.B. KingŐs Live At The Regal for best live blues album ever. (Although, ironically, I think the weakest cut on the album is Sweet Little Angel, which nobody, not even Etta James can sing with the passion of B.B. King) The high points are Baby What You Want Me To Do and Woke Up This Morning. Her singing is so tough, so ballsy on these songs, I canŐt think of another singer to compare her to. She could make even Wilson Pickett and James Brown sound like wimps. She finishes both songs off with some scatting you have to hear to believe. She just takes my breath away. And several more songs on this album are almost as good.

Besides the incredible singing, the other thing that makes this album a joy is the audience. The excitement is palpable. On a couple of songs, she gets a thrilling call and response going with them, and their excitement seems to feed her. You can actually hear her getting energy from the audience. The album is the next best thing to Etta James in person.

One of the greatest live club recordings in Blues, and the only one from Etta's early career. You can feel the party; folks are screaming, Etta's steaming, the whole country was still reeling from her '61 At Last! recording that will also knock your shoes off and have you rocking the house yourself. Oh, Etta sings some beautiful blues, you know, but she can rip out some heart-wrenching gutteral gospel, too; it's all here in this one-night show. Just 25 years old and in full power, Live.

The audience is up screaming and dancing from the first number and Etta immediately slides into the sexiest version of Jimmy Reed's Baby, Any Way You Want Me To Do, giving the song all new meaning. Just four years earlier Ray Charles topped the charts with What I Say, and Etta belts it out true to form with all the flavor Ray gave it, and the audience is absolutely enthralled. You are right there with them on this recording.

She puts The Beatles to shame on Money (That's What I Want), and beat them to it here, rocking out to the tune originally recorded by Motown writer Barrett Strong in 1959. The Beatles made a hit out of it in '63 only after this show. They've Etta James to thank for warming Americans up to the beat.

The house stays on their feet keeping the floor wet though a rocking bluesy Seven Day Fool and they don't get a rest till the guitarist gets to put on a show of his own with Sweet Little Angel; a B.B. King classic, sung by Etta "with a feeling" as Little Walter wrote and Paul Butterfield so famously quoted and promoted. Oh, what a feeling. The first set ends here and we break for drinks!

Encore time! Ooh Poo Pah Doo gets the fans all riled up and dancing again. You can imagine a mixed crowd of revelers, drinks and smokes set down now, see 'em Twisting in front of the band and throughout the aisles. Back to B.B. King for Woke Up This Morning in rockin' double time, and Etta finishes off her party sending everyone home sweaty and in the mood with another Jimmy Reed classic, Ain't That Lovin' You Baby.

Oh, Baby, what a night!

Etta James is one of the best singers ever! In this cd you hear Etta the way she's supposed to be heard. Live! Her interpretation of lyrics in each song is awe inspiring to listen to. The backing band is also full of good musicians, who have a good groove together and with Etta. There is some great guitar work in "Sweet Little Angel". I am a huge Etta fan but have played this album for many people who are not and don't even really care for the blues. But, everybody so far loves it. This album is beneficial to anyone who likes music in general, and definitely demonstrates the voice actually being used as an instrument. A must have!

This album rivals B.B. King Live At The Regal for best live blues album ever. Etta James sings so tough, so ballsy, I cannot think of another singer to compare her to. She almost makes even Wilson Pickett and James Brown sound like wimps. On a couple of songs, she does some scatting you have to hear to believe. Takes my breath away everytime.

Besides the incredible singing, the other thing that makes this album a joy is the audience. Their excitement is palpable. On a couple of songs, Etta gets a thrilling call and response going with them, and their energy seems to feed her. The album is the next best thing to Etta James in person.

the title says it all, ETTA ROCKS! This one sent chills up through my body. Its lowdown dirty till the sun comes up blues. If you claim to be a fan of the blues, you've got to have this. If you cant afford it, steal it. Just get it. Now! GO!

When it comes to live blues albums your going to be dealing with the quality of atmosphere and performance as much as,if not more than live albums in other genres of music next perhaps to jazz-which is similarly themed. Now not only is this a great live album,even if per the times the sound quality has a mildly far away sound to it but it counldn't have come at a more important time in music. As the 1960's entered it's middle age the gospel,urban blues,modern jazz and 50's style soul was all starting to bleed together into a very new sound;some call it deep soul and others call it 60's soul. But either way it was a long time in the making and,as with innovations in jazz and blues in the past it really became itself onstage with albums such as this and James Brown's Live at the Apollo 1962 or Sam Cooke's One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club 63 of the same vintage. And here we have it Chi-town style and from the heart of a woman.

Expand to include three bonus cuts this album is over 40 minutes of non-stop,rip down the joint urban blues/soul/R&B starting out with Etta belting out the uptempo soul stomper"Something's Got A Hold On Me" as if in the grip of some nameless emotion and thought. The same thing happens as she growls,grunts and sings the very end out of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say",already made popular in a famous live version and even "Money"-a very interesting song choice as at that time Motown and the labels on Chicago's record row were in strong competition and here Etta again wrings every last ounce of soul she can from this most early R&B sounding of Motown hits. Aside from other uptempo soul house raisers like "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" she also has plenty of time for some straight up Chicago blues such as Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do",BB Kings "Sweet Little Angel" "All I Could Do Is Cry" and of the course the closer "I Just Want TO Make Love To You".

Considering that this features Etta backed by a small blues quartet this Nashville date has surprisingly no major musical jump cuts;it's a smooth flow from beginning to end. Even though it captures gospel inspired soul,R&B and urban blues all at an important musical crossroads. Not only that but you get to hear Etta introuducing some of the songs which compensates,to a degree for the visual element that did not get captured here. Also of note is that Etta's music was in an important transition equal to the music itself;she was basically moving in the same general direction that Aretha Franklin,Fontella Bass and Carla Thomas would find themselves in shortly after this time-that of the gospel influenced soul sound that expand past the blues and towards a very different musical ethic. And seldom has such a transition ever been captured in such an enjoyable way as they did on albums such as this.

I really hadn't listened to Etta James before, but recently heard a couple of her songs on [...] - well, I liked them and decided to get a cd. This woman really does Rock the House! What a voice! She reminds me a little of Tina Turner when she was with Ike. I think Janis Joplin may have been influenced somewhat by Etta James. I'm very happy with my purchase.

An absolute masterpiece. I listen to it over and over and I am still amazed at the energy and creativeness she puts in each song. There is one slow song on the cd that kind of breaks the rockin' mood, but it is still an awesome cd, one of my all time favorites.

This is what it's all about! The opening cuts are smokin'. Etta comes at you, (yeah, it's like being right there!) purring, snarling, wonderful stuff you gotta hear to believe. The band is almost as hot and nasty. It cools off some on the later cuts but it is a splendid example of a true master on top of her game, ROCKIN'the House off its foundations! Haven't heard the additional cuts on this release, but if they are anything like the opening numbers you'll wear it out even faster. Buy. Hold.

RIP to One of the baddest Female Singers ever and one of the greatest artists period. I mean Etta James had that rare ability to sound so smooth and yet make the little hairs on the back of your neck rise up like Don King's Hair. she truly had a way of singing and putting emotion into her performances. this live set captures her at her prime and peak knocking it out of the box uncut and direct. she is the kind of artist that you fully have to listen to more than the hits to here the full range of her musical scope and you get the raw and vulnerable tension that made her singing so special and yet down home. she never left you saying is there anymore left? she broke it down and kept it real. you couldn't put a label on her style because she could beat you in so many ways as a stylist. and this set highlights that so much more.