At Last＜限定盤＞

チェス・レコードはギター主体のブルースの拠点であるだけでなく、その子レーベルであるargoはエッタ・ジェームズの長年の拠点でもあった。彼女の力強い歌声は、ポップスやソウルで最も情熱的な歌い手たちの黄金基準として今なお輝き続けている。1960年発表の『At Last』は、「Stormy Weather」「A Sunday Kind of Love」「I Just Want to Make Love to You」、そして彼女の代名詞となった不朽の名曲「At Last」の演奏によって支えられ、おそらくエッタの芸術性が最も純粋にレコード盤に刻まれた作品と言えるだろう。

After spending a few years in limbo after scoring her first R&B hits "Dance With Me, Henry" and "Good Rocking Daddy," Etta James returned to the spotlight in 1961 with her first Chess release, At Last. James made both the R&B and pop charts with the album's title cut, "All I Could Do Was Cry," and "Trust in Me." What makes At Last a great album is not only the solid hits it contains, but also the strong variety of material throughout. 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." James 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