Let's Roll
"The blues is my business and business is good," Etta James growls over a churning rhythm section on the appropriately titled "Let’s Roll." Although not entirely a rock & roll album, the disc is a rousing reminder of the gritty "Tell Mama"/"Roll with Me Henry"-style of tough R&B; that caught the world’s attention more than 30 years ago. From this disc’s swampy "Wayward Saints of Memphis" to the brazen "Lie No Better" and theStones/Facesboozy slap of "Somebody to Love" (all co-penned byDelbert McClinton), James, now in her mid-60s, is back in her element. With a brassy, sassy attack more powerful than that of vocalists half her age, the singer--who also produced--works her wiles on a stunning collection culminating in a gutsy eight-minute version of Billy Wright’s "Stacked Deck." Declaring, "the Queen, that’s me, and I’m about to wear my crown," there’s no doubt that Etta James is blues-rock royalty and definitely on a roll.--Hal Horowitz