20th Century Masters: The Best Of Etta James (Millennium Collection)
Few vocalists can muster the power and sass of Etta James when she's rocking the mike on classic R&B; tunes like "Tell Mama" or "Something's Got a Hold on Me." But James also had a way with a ballad, and her sensitive readings of songs such as "At Last" and "All I Could Do Was Cry" made her a fan favorite in the early '60s. Had she not been sidelined for a while by an addiction to heroin, today we might think of James, notAretha, as the Queen of Soul. Because this set offers only 11 cuts, it's generally inferior toHer Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection, which boasts 20 tunes. Still, it's a satisfying intro to the delightful "Miss Peaches" nonetheless.--Daniel Durchholz