Search - Etta James :: Burnin' Down the House: Live at the House of Blues

Burnin Down the House Smokes!!

12/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have several Etta James titles and this one definitely kicks some serious .... Etta shows no fear whilst tackling a couple monumental rockers, (e.g. Take Me to the River, and Born to be Wild), and once again demonstrates her remarkable versatility. For the younsters in the crowd who were not around at the time of the Talking Heads release of Burning Down the House, let me assure you it definitley made the scene in a big way. Etta's rendition of Take Me to the River is energetic and inspired. Truthfully speaking, I would have a difficult time choosing between Etta and David Byrne. This CD is recorded live in 5.1 surround (if i recall correctly). The sonics and mixing are quite good and I routinely find my mid-fi 2 channel stereo system cranking out 60-70 watts per channel by the end of this cd. Talk about imaging! Next best thing to being there. Anyhow, I rarely post reviews at Amazon.com, so you won't find my name in a top xxxx list. I do know something about the blues, however, and felt obligated to comment upon this cd, as I was totally blown away to see the negative reviews of this recording. Burnin Down the House is a live set that more than lives up to it's title. Buy it!!"

Etta James STILL rocks the house.

Wally Black | Argentina | 05/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1963 Etta James recorded a superb live set entitled "ETTA JAMES ROCKS THE HOUSE". In 2002, thirty nine years later, this Lady can still rocks and even set the house on fire with "BURNIN'DOWN THE HOUSE". Etta outdid herself this time, she sounds powerful and confident, with almost fifty years in the music business, her expertise is evident. The musicians in the ROOTS BAND are terrific and give her a phenomenal back up. In such a long career, the songs associated with Etta James are so many, that makes this selection a very eclectic album. On track eleven, instead of "My funny Valentine", I would like to hear "Here I am (come and take me)" and it would be a totally Al Green's medley of the Al's songs recorded by Etta. Listen carefully this new live version of "At last", and you fall in love again with Etta's voice. The art of the album is quite good, but I wonder why there's only one shot of Etta, for a hardcore fan like me, it would be nicer to see more pictures of her performing on stage. To have Etta James' latest album, it's a must for every fan."

The R& B Hurricane is alive and kicking

Nuno M. Ferreira | LISBON, PORTUGAL | 05/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I hope many young artists have the energy and voice power this survivor of blues, heroin and wrong men has at 64. This is a powerful release. Etta remains a hurricane on stage and the band is solid as a rock."