Etta James Falls Flat on 'All the Way'

03/14/2006 11:09 AM, AP
Line M. Millard

Etta James, "All the Way" (RCA Victor)

Etta James' latest album is a curious collection of songs, all covers by artists ranging from John Lennon to Leonard Bernstein to R. Kelly.

A few of the selections make perfect sense for a soul queen such as James. "It's a Man's, Man's, World" is a solid, jazz selection that shows off her vulnerability. The title track, "All the Way" is a classically beautiful standard and James delivers it like the vocal champ that she is.

But for most of the album, James sounds like a tired lounge singer. Her selections don't show off her velvety voice and instead she sounds downright flat most of the time. (Strange, considering what studio magic can fix.)

Her version of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" is a good example of this. She digs into notes that are so low they're out of her register, making her version of the song sound more like karaoke than the work of a three-time Grammy-winning artist.

In the places where her voice doesn't shine through, even the production can't hold her up. The musicianship on the album is sophomoric at best, although there is one guitar that sometimes comes through as a saving grace with an interesting riff or two.

"All the Way" is an oddity in the broad and incredible career of James. For a woman of her talent and stature, her fans would have expected a more solid album, as opposed to the watered-down version of her work that she has delivered. James' career has spanned almost five decades, so perhaps she should be allowed the occasional lapse.