"...Love's Been Rough On Me..."
This dinky 7CD mini clamshell box set gathers together an unfairly overlooked period of Etta James’ extraordinary catalogue – not the Classic Chess and Cadet years of old – but six studio albums between 1997 and 2004 with a throwback Live Set done in 1994 (San Francisco) added on a tasty Bonus.
Subtitled 'Complete Album Collection' - it features the CD orientated PRIVATE MUSIC label and a string of albums considering by many fans as a second coming for the former Chess Records Blues and Rhythm 'n' Blues star. Here are the gin-soaked whiskey-guzzling TNT-smoking details...
USA released April 2012 - UK/EU released August 2012 - "The Complete Private Music Blues, Rock 'n' Soul Albums Collection" by ETTA JAMES is on Sony Music/Private Music/RCA Victor Legacy 88691905892 (Barcode 886919058925) is a 7CD Clamshell Box Set that breaks down as follows:
1. Love's Been Rough On Me (1997, 10 tracks, 41:11 minutes)
2. Life Love & The Blues (1998, 12 tracks, 59:38 minutes)
3. Matriarch Of The Blues (2000, 12 tracks, 64:25 minutes)
4. Burnin' Down The House (2002 Live Set, 12 tracks, 72:44 minutes)
5. Let's Roll (2003, 12 tracks, 58:35 minutes)
6. Blues To The Bone (2004, 12 tracks, 47:57 minutes)
7. (Bonus Disc) Live From San Francisco (1994, 8 Tracks, 42:15 minutes)
The Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves are all single issues with white borders and no inners - details of the albums all transferred into the info-packed 24-page booklet that features album-by-album annotation and a hugely affectionate 3-page essay on the great lady by renowned Soul/Jazz Writer and Presenter BOB PORTER (it is a functional booklet really rather than pouring it on). There is no remastering in this set – no need – all were beautifully produced in the first place with top class guitarists, keyboard players and horn sections pumping up every single track.
If I was to describe the guitar playing ("Love It Or Leave It Alone" is a good example) – think Gary Moore circa "Still Got The Blues" accompanied by a powerhouse rhythm section and Etta letting it rip on the vocals – you get the idea. When she does slow it right down like on "Cry Like A Rainy Day", "If I Had Any Pride Left At All" and her stripped-back cover of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" – the keys come into the fore to really sweet effect. The production values are fabulous – so clear and yet still full of power…not sanitized in any way…
It isn't all misery either – covers like "Born Under A Bad Sign" (Albert King), "Spoonful" (Howlin' Wolf) and "Hoochie Coochie Gal [Man]" (Muddy Waters) see the band rock it out like The Fabulous Thunderbirds with a great female vocalist (Jimmy "Z" Zavala giving it superb harmonica wailing throughout). We even get slinky Sly Stone Soul in her cover of his "If You Want Me To Stay".
However - there are some strangely souless clunkers on "Matriarch Of The Blues". Even though she tries to boogie up and funkify Dylan's religious-period "Gotta Serve Somebody", The Stones' Some Girls gem "Miss You" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou" – none is particularly good. Better is her slow bluesy cover of Ray Charles' 50ts Atlantic nugget "Come Back Baby" and her almost John Fogerty take on Presley's "Hound Dog". She gives it some Soul and Easy Listening in the near 10-minute medley of two huge Al Green tunes from his Hi Records days "Love & Happiness" and "Take Me To The River" with that old time perennial "My Funny Valentine" on the far better live set "Burnin' Down the House". Credited to Etta James & The Roots Band – "Burnin' Down The House" goes a long way to restoring faith after the uninspired covers on the "Matriarch..." album. Her version of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" which is mixed in with Steppenwolf's 60ts anthem "Born To Be Wild" is genuinely exciting hard-hitting boogie-band blues. And she tears the house down with "At Last" - a song that now seems inextricably associated with marriage - and Etta James.
2003's "Let's Roll" featured strong Delbert McClinton tunes like "Somebody To Love" and "Wayward Saints Of Memphis" with many of the others "Strongest Weakness" and "Old Weakness" written by long-time collaborator Gary Nicholson. Once again the band features blistering Zavala harmonica playing. The "Blues To The Bone" album gets all Stray Cats Strut at times and is another winner – the acoustic slide blues of "Little Red Rooster" is great fun as is the grooving boogie of Al Green's superb "Driving Wheel". And on it goes to another cracking live set…
For fans this box set offers nothing they don't already have. But if you've lapsed on the latter half of her career – then this lovely reissue holds a wad of goodies and in some quarters is available at less than a pound or a dollar per disc.
Jamesetta Hawkins was born in 1938 and passed away in 2012 having won every award there was in Soul, R 'n' B and even Rockabilly. This classy little release does her memory proud…
