Etta James - Miss Etta James: The Complete Modern and Kent Recordings (2013)

Tracklist
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CD1
01. The Wallflower
02. Hold Me, Squeeze Me
03. Hey Henry
04. Be Mine
05. Good Rockin' Daddy
06. Crazy Feeling
07. W-O-M-A-N
08. That's All
09. My One And Only (Number One)
10. I'm A Fool
11. Shortnin' Bread Rock
12. Tears Of Joy
13. Tough Lover
14. Fools We Mortals Be
15. Good Lookin'
16. Then I'll Care
17. The Pick-Up
18. Market Place
19. Come What May
20. By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

CD2
01. Baby Baby Every Night
02. Sunshine Of Love
03. How Big A Fool
04. If It Ain't One Thing
05. I Hope You're Satisfied
06. Dance With Me, Henry
07. Don't You Remember
08. Hickory Dickory Dock
09. Nobody Loves You Like Me
10. We're In Love
11. You Know What I Mean
12. Strange Things Happening
13. Be My Lovey Dovey
14. Tough Lover
15. Good Lookin'
16. Hey Henry
17. Crazy Feeling
18. Market Place
19. Hey Henry
20. Good Rockin' Daddy
21. How Big A Fool
22. That's All


Ace does it again - of course. These two discs, The Complete Modern and Kent Recordings, contain every side that the young powerhouse Etta James cut for Modern, Crown, and Kent between 1955 and 1961. There are 42 cuts on these two discs, remastered and sequenced painstakingly according to release date. There are no less than seven previously unissued cuts, and two more that have appeared only on Ace compilations. (There's a killer alternate take of "Hey Henry" here that rivals the released version). Fans will have a lot of this material in various places, but this collection puts everything together in one slamming package. The first disc is comprised exclusively of sides recorded for Modern between '55 and '57. Among the masterpieces of killer, bed-rocking R&B found here are "W-O-M-A-N," "Hey Henry," "Good Rockin' Day," "The Pick-Up," "Tough Lover," and "Be Mine." Disc two, where the treasures really are, lays out the Kent and Crown material, and contains all the rarities. There are a few duets here where James is joined by Betty & Dupree as on "If It Ain't One Thing," and "We're In Love." The rehearsal of "Be My Lovely Dovey," is raw and wonderful, as is the alternate version of "Crazy Feelin," without backing from a group. The liner essay by Tony Rounce is both authoritative and accessible, and gives a solid and revealing portrait of James' place in the pantheon and how her star rose. This is, in its way, an historic set because this is the first time all these sides have appeared in one place. Highly recommended.

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