Etta James Rocks the House
Artist: Etta James

Simply one of the greatest live blues albums ever captured on tape. Cut in 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, the set finds Etta James in stellar shape as she forcefully delivers her own "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and "Seven Day Fool" interspersed with a diet of sizzling covers ("What'd I Say," "Sweet Little Angel," "Money," "Ooh Poo Pah... Read More

Soul Deep
Artist: Miki Honeycutt

Miki Honeycutt has the kind of earnest affectation and genuinely raw sound that comes only from the heart. She sings Southern soul and surging blues on this release with the timing and intensity of a veteran, although she's a relative newcomer. It helps that she's backed by Sugar Ray And The Blue Tones, plus a host of fine guests including... Read More

We're Gonna Make It/Little Milton Sings Big Blues
Artist: Little Milton

This CD of two of Little Milton's classic, early-'60s titles for the Checker label, We're Gonna Make it and Sings Big Blues, features a nice variety of blues material and some stellar arrangements. Towering above it all, though, is Milton's powerful voice: a solid combination of gospel intensity and fluid phrasing that sprang from Roy Brown,... Read More

If Walls Could Talk
Artist: Little Milton

On If Walls Could Talk Little Milton continues to fuse blues with soul -- if anything, the album leans toward soul more than blues. Supported by a band with a thick, wailing horn section, Little Milton sings and plays with power. Though there a couple of wonderful solos, the focus of the record is on the songs, which all sound terrific, thanks... Read More

Drawers Trouble
Artist: Chuck Carbo

Veteran New Orleans R&B singer Carbo proves he's a capable front man even without the presence of his '50s vocal group, the Spiders, on this infectious comeback set. With Crescent City vet Edward Frank handling piano and arranging duties, Carbo smoothly intones a mostly original lineup of songs (Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham's lascivious standard... Read More

The Essential Etta James
Artist: Etta James
Community Score: 10.00

The Essential Etta James comprises 44 tracks summarizing the long and brilliant Chess tenure of "Miss Peaches," Etta James, opening with her 1960 smash "All I Could Do Was Cry," and encompassing her torchy, fully orchestrated ballads "At Last," "My Dearest Darling," and "Trust in Me," and continuing on through her 1962 gospel-rocker "Something's... Read More

Good Love!
Artist: Johnnie Taylor
Community Score: 9.67

Good Love! is an excellent latter-day record from Johnnie Taylor, illustrating that the singer has lost very little of his soulful power. Although the production may be a little to slick for some tastes, Taylor's gutsy singing makes the music sound gritty, and very few modern-day Southern soul albums have a collection of songs this consistently... Read More

Her Best
Artist: Etta James
Community Score: 7.00

While several best-ofs from Etta James' Chess period have been available over the years -- with the two-disc, 44-track Essential Etta James at the top of the list in giving the big picture -- this 20-track collection sweats that bigger picture down to bare essentials. For those wishing to finally sample Etta's classic period at Chess... Read More