Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection

Etta James | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen
• ASIN: B000005KQE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Imports > R&B
  • #1 in Music > Imports > Blues
  • #1 in Music > Blues > Traditional Blues

Editorial Reviews

Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection by Etta James

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Etta has pathos and technique:Telling A Black Woman's Story, October 15, 2000

By 

"jazzy271" (Washington, D.C., District of Columbia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (Audio CD)

I discovered Etta James when I was a teenaged black girl growing up in Berkeley, California. I was too young for Muddy Waters, and Billie Holiday. Before I was born,my parents fled segregated New Orleans for the wartime jobs of Oakland and San Francisco naval bases. I heard blues in the background of my life. From my aunt's honky-tonk piano playing to the sexual innuendo of Big Mama Thorton. I took it all in. This album captures every single bit of the innuendo of my life, either real or imagined.

I love the songs everyone loves, At Last, A Sunday Kind of Love, Fool That am I, Trust in Me, All I Could Do is Cry. These songs speak truth to a woman's powerlessness. What I noticed after playing this album over, and over, and over is that she sounds like a horn, a sassy, jazzy blues horn. When she goes wanh, wanh, wanh, in Jimmy Reed's, Baby, What you Want Me to Do, she is the perfect vocal instrument. Anyone who wants to meet Etta, must have this cd. I have the two cd box set and other "essential" cds, but this is simply THE BEST!

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Single Disc Compilation Of Etta's Music, September 9, 2004

By 

"The Woj" (Downers Grove, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (Audio CD)

For someone on a budget who is interested in the music of this legendary artist, look no further than this single disc album. The sound and track selection here are excellent. Anyone interested in the blues needs to have at least one Etta James album in their collection and you can't go wrong here. For those of you have a few extra dollars around, I strongly suggest 2 disc set "The Essential Etta James" on the MCA/Chess label. "The Essential" boasts 44 tracks an is more comprehensive than this release, but also twice the price.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Etta James Singin' Away, June 9, 2000

By 

Matthew Calcara "writer" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (Audio CD)

Though I'm an admitted jazz-and-blues fan, it doesn't take a hard-core fan to appreciate the beauty and richnesss of Etta James. "At Last" remains her most well-known song for good reason: it's an eloquent, evocative, soulful masterpiece. Her voice is absolutely entrancing here and on the admittedly saccharine "A Sunday Kind of Love". Etta's voice ranges from bluesy sass in "Next Door to the Blues" to gospel power in "Something's Got a Hold on Me" to the smooth and smoldering notes of "Don't Cry Baby".

But while her voice is easy to like, this is a blues album. It's great for those who like the blues but aren't hard-core fans of the genre. The album is easy to listen to and has several recognizable songs. But fans of James won't be disappointed either. With 20 songs of pure Etta, even they should get their fill. For those who aren't well-acquainted with her, Etta's voice is a rough mixture of Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. And when she's wailing the blues, you can feel her raw strength and conviction. This album really is Etta at her best.