Blistering, bluesy R&B

The ever-vivacious Etta James is one of R&B's true greats, an artist whose work will always stand the test of time and this album, originally released in 1968, is one of her best-known and most powerful. More dynamic than expressive, James was a gal who clearly knew how to rock, capable of the same sort of expansiveness as Jimmy Rushing or even jump blues shouters such as Wynonie Harris, but also with a touch of the sleekness seen in Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald. The "Tell Mama" album is a flawless, timeless crowd pleaser, packed with upbeat, compact material, a tailormade showcase for James' mousy snarl. Backed by the best of the Muscle Shoals crew, this is music that can't easily be faulted; with ten bonus tracks added on for good measure, this CD edition is pretty hard to resist.

Etta at Her Best!!

A must have for every soul brother and sister! Everything is perfect here, the chemistry is right, Etta swindles from the sheer contempt of "Tell Mama", to the poignancy of "The Love of my man", to the exuberant "Security" and the moving "I'd rather go blind"....Five stars are not enough!!

What a re-issue should be!

In addition to the 12 re-mastered original tracks, there are 10 more (including 2 versions of "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"). There are some good songs here that are not included on either "Her Best" or "The Chess Box", including "Watch Dog", "My Mother In Law", "It Hurts Me So Much", "I've Gone Too Far", and her funked-out Soulful rendition of "I Got You Babe". This is a must-have for Etta fans.