Easily eans its 5 stars! What a woman! Grrrrrrrr!

A woman renamed Etta James hit the R&B charts at age 16, when she forged her mother's signature (who was in jail at the time) to allow her to tour and made a living performing where ever she could when soul fell from mass favor. The key to her endurance, as she is still singing, is her versatility and ability to hit home runs with great songs and work around the less than stellar songs.

On early Chess singles the ballad "My Dearest Darling" and the more raunchy "I Just Want to Make Love to You," James coos and growls like a tigress. There is the inside glance at her personal life on duets with a man she had a huge crush on, Harvey Fuqua. Though the young love was apparently unrequited, there is an intimacy inherent in their version of "If I Can't Have You," while a smoldering sexuality pervades "Spoonful." The first CD also has a song that introduced me to James a few years back. You have heard of a little tune called "At Last." I am obviously kidding about "little tune" as that song is on fire.

The second CD introduced me to a mostly unknown (at least to me) R&B singer Sugar Pie DeSanto who duets with James on the screaming party tune "In the Basement" and the sweet and soulful "Do I Make Myself Clear." These women should have recorded together more often as they make a raging fire. Ett a also tackles country with her signature approach and the result may have to get a new name. I suggest "Soultry"."I Prefer You" and "Tell Mama" are scorching.

James began covering rock songs in the late '60s, and both the successful and the not-so-great are included in the third CD of this box set. Although this is the least potent CD of the 3, it has some surprises including the fire-causing "Let's Burn Down The Cornfield," which has to be one of the sexiest songs ever.

The insert is informative as it tells you about Etta's life and has some great pictures. It nothing out of this world, so buy this for the music and although its pricey, I think that it's worth every dime and then some.

The 72 songs on this box set are placed chronologically, and it's rather astonishing how strong all these recordings are, from her terrific vocals to the songs themselves. Her producers weren't sure what to do with the big, bold voice of a woman-child, but she did her thing while they tried to figure out what to do with her. I for one I am glad that they never quite figured it out as it makes for a great victory for song interpretation.

This is a must have release and it easily earns the highest rating possible, independently that some of the songs are not as good as the singer. This set can at times give you a window to the history of rock/soul. May Etta sing until her last breath. I feel very fortunate to have discovered this woman. By the way, my "discovery" only occurred due to the good people at Amazon.com who take the time to rate everything from their favorites and those almost universally panned. This forum is great because it is truly democratic and by being able to read why people give the ratings that they do, I can learn a lot about potential purchases. Thank you guys and enjoy Etta!

Choose your favourite disc,if you can!

One of the most satisfactory CD-Boxes I ever stumbled upon,this 3 Cd collection folows Etta James rise from her early 1960's violin-backed ballads to her glorious Memphis days and funk in 1970's.Of course,she recorded prior to "Chess" and afterwards,but these were her golden years and this carefully compiled Box shows what amazing singer she was in her prime.Those unfamiliar with her start (or with a music climate in early 1960's) would be surprised with some choices,but for me having Etta ballad/jazz/pop/country/soul/funk/philly-sound/blues songs all at one place means hours of pleasure without being bored with just one music style.What all these songs have in common is her big,powerful voice and whatever she sings,she is 100% into it - check her "St.Louis Blues" or previously unreleased (!)"You've Lost That Loving Feeling".Althought is hard to select favourite disc (and chart-wise,disc 1. was her best-selling period),last disc which follows her less commercial early 1970's period is absolute brilliant.The Box closes with breathtaking "Loving Arms" which moves me to tears,often sung country ballad that James sings while falling to pieces.

The Chess Box captures and gives the best of Etta James

You'll be more than pleased with this 3 CD set in The Chess Box! Let the voice of Etta James capture your soul with 72 spectacular songs! Fantastic! I've gotten nothing but pure heart touching pleasure from listening to them all!