191. Etta James, "At Last!"

 


Would I willingly select this album to put on to listen to?  Probably not.  Was it enjoyable on its own terms nevertheless?  Yes, it was.  Released in 1960, this early soul/R&B album featured a number of jazz and pop standards, along with some straight blues (like Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You") sprinkled in.

This album brought two thoughts to mind for me: (1) music that plays under establishing shots in movies set in the early 60's; and (2) music that has been the first dance at an infinite number of weddings.  Here's an example of James's music in a movie set in the 50's (which I guess would have been impossible? But hey, so is time travel):


As far as wedding dances go, there is, of course, the title track, which you've probably actually seen used at a wedding (it's #1 on this list, and is so ubiquitous that those contrarians at the New York Times did a piece called "36 First Dance Songs That Aren't 'At Last'"), plus "My Dearest Darling" and "Trust In Me" and maybe even "A Sunday Kind of Love."  

You probably would not want to use "All I Could Do Was Cry," which is about your love marrying someone else:

I heard church bells ringing
I heard a choir singing
I saw my love walk down the aisle
On her finger he placed a ring

Oh, I saw them holding hands
She was standing there with my man
I heard them promise "Till death do us part"
Each word was a pain in my heart

Speaking of "A Sunday Kind of Love," I think it's the best, or maybe second-best song on this album.  James is singing plaintively about what kind of love she wants, and her voice is reallyused to full effect, aching and crying with need, but also strong and certain about what she wants.  That kind of sums up James' whole mood on this album.  She just projects strength.

Beyonce famously covered "At Last" at Obama's White House Inaugural Ball but Etta James was NOT HAVING IT: ""She ain't mine… I can't stand Beyonce," she said.  When you're Etta James, you can like whatever you want.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? Yes, certainly.

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