The Second Time Around
Etta James was just 22 when she made the recordings for this album in 1960 and '61, but she had already established herself as a youthful belter of spirited R&B; numbers. LikeAretha Franklinin the same period, James felt pressure from recording executives to go in different directions. Chess was unsure whether to market her as an R&B; singer or to press her toward mainstream adult pop and jazz. This CD presents both sides of the coin, with James doing rousing R&B; numbers such as "Seven Day Fool" and the protosoul of "Don't Cry Baby," lounge tunes like "One for My Baby," the jazz-flavored ballad "Fool That I Am," and Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." It hardly matters, though, for James's emotional immediacy and potent delivery make all the material her own.--Stuart Broomer