Track Listing

1. Got My Mojo Working
2. Don't Start Me Talkin'
3. Hush Hush
4. Lil' Red Rooster
5. That's Alright
6. Crawlin' King Snake
7. Dust My Broom
8. Sky Is Crying
9. Smokestack Lightnin'
10. You Shook Me
11. Driving Wheel
12. Honey Don't Tear My Clothes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7280 in Music
• Released on: 2004-06-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
Duke Ellington spoke of certain things being "beyond category"--such a description suits singer Etta James. Since the 1950s, James has helped to set trends and adapted to them, applying her deep, dignified voice to jazz, blues, Southern soul, and pop balladry. BLUES TO THE BONE is James's tribute to the blues, and it takes on well-worn genre standards and gives them a veritable new lease on life. James alternates between acoustic and electric renditions--"Lil' Red Rooster" becomes a country-tinged lamentation, and "Smokestack Lightnin'" gets a rare bare-bones treatment, just voice and acoustic guitar. "Got My Mojo Working" is a chugging, loping hunk of bravado, and "The Sky Is Crying" sounds like a storm aboutto break, James' voice the virtual definition of "soulful".Throughout, James sings the blues as one who has lived them, and her accompanists are a lean, mean, well-oiled machine,playing nary an excess note.

Customer Reviews

ETTA JUST KEEPS GETTIN' BETTA'
The legendary Etta James has said that she was inspired to record this album after seeing the PBS TV series "The Blues" produced by Martin Scorcese.

Referring to the series James said, "What I found was so full of what life is about: being born and dying; joy and sorrow; salvation and sin......As I started reaching deeper I realized that most of the blues of that day was done by men. Women just didn't have the nerve. So I thought it was about time to show them what these songs might sound like coming from a whole different point of view."

Surely can't comment on the differences between points of view but I can say this is one terrific album - a must-have for blues aficionados. "Honey Don't Tear My Clothes" is unbelievable, as is "Don't Start Me Talking."

Featured on the album are James's sons Donto James and Sametto James; guitarists Josh Sklair and Bobby Murray plus harmonica player John "Juke" Logan. Liner notes are by Martin Scorcese.

This one's a keeper!

- Gail Cooke

A bit disappointing
I've been a fan of Etta's for nearly 40 years, and I especially love her blues material, but, frankly, this isn't her best shot at it. Most of the songs are covers of the songs that made me get into the blues in the first place, such as 'Don't Start Me Talking', 'Smokestack Lightnin' and many more, but the sad fact is that she doesn't really seem to put her heart and soul into it, just, well, run through a collection of standards. The only one that really seems to work for me is 'Crawling King Snake', which has a slightly unusual arrangemnet which lifts it out of the ordinary. Her attempt at 'howlin' (like the Wolf) is, frankly laughable. Most of the tracks don't really stack up against the originals, admittedly a pretty tall order since they were so great. All a bit sad, in my opinion. At least I must say it's great to hear her singing the blues again, and seemimgly in good health. I hope she makes many more blues CD's.