Etta James
At Last!
Play At Last!
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MOG Editorial Review
As one of the first female R&B stars, it goes without saying that Etta James influenced everyone from Diana Ross to Norah Jones. After receiving a modest amount of early success, At Last! announced James as a unique talent in the field, with her intense, bluesy voice capable of shouting to the hills when not quietly mourning lost love. The title track, of course, has gone on to become a standard, memorably performed by Beyonce at Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. Though she spent later decades without the deserved recognition of R&B royalty, At Last! shows James' influence on the genre more than any accolades ever could.
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AMG Review of At Last!
Stephen Cook
All Music GuideAfter 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 1960 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.
 "At Last!")
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