Etta James – At Last

When Etta James passed away in early 2012, the tributes and plaudits flooded in the world over Gone forever was the soul diva and legend, the peerless and seemingly indomitable, screaming, bawling R&B siren who had seen off several near death experiences with dangerous substances and even more dangerous men. As the music world mourned, the question still remained – did Etta really receive her dues during her life? That recent interest in her career probably peeked when portrayed onscreen by a certain Beyonce Knowles in the Chess biopic ‘Cadillac Records’ would suggest the answer is no.

This short and sweet set of six songs spread across three 45rpm records captures various key snapshots and key moments in Etta’s early career. We hear the precocious, sassy teenaged delinquent on ‘That’s All’, the snarling rock and roll mama on ‘Tough Lover’ and we revisit her ‘coming of age’ moment, the song that came to spark her adult career into a new direction and lifespan and became her signature: ‘At Last’.