Etta James - At Last! (Music CD)

Solid hits and a wide variety of material make 1961's At Last!, Etta James' first Chess release, a great album. James expertly handles jazz standards like "Stormy Weather" and "A Sunday Kind of Love," as well as Willie Dixon's blues classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You." She demonstrates her keen facility on the title track in particular, as she easily moves from powerful blues shouting to more subtle, airy phrasing; her Ruth Brown-inspired, bad-girl growl only adds to the intensity. James would go on to even greater success with later hits like "Tell Mama," but on At Last! one hears the singer at her peak in a swinging and varied program of blues, R&B, and jazz standards. ~ Stephen Cook