The 20th of January marked the passing of an unmistakable legend.
Cliché as it may sound but despite the death of Etta James, her music still lives on; if no-where else, it can be found in the Top Ten right now. That song, the one that turns a club upside down, right side up… “Ohh sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah”, is a sample from her classic “Something’s Got a Hold On Me”. A song which was covered by Christina Aguilera in the film Burlesque; Etta James’ influence on artists such as Christina Aguilera is evident when they sing her songs; they dig deep and pull out that recognisable huskiness. She created new standards and turned her version of the originals into masterful soul hits.
Etta James was not a star as we know today, she did not rely solely on looks and publicity to make her fame, nor was she known as someone that you would just love to have a chat with; her life was burdened with problems which she fronted with a quick wit and a casual humour. She was recognised and adored for her feist and strong-will along with an attitude to rival any fifteen year old teenage girl. She is appreciated and listened to on the basis of that succulently sweet, brilliantly rich, velvety smooth and above all painfully beautiful voice which would explode whenever she opened her mouth. Unlike many artists today Etta James’ voice couldn’t merely scratch the surface, she effortlessly searches into her soul and pulls out her emotions, laying them out for all to feel and to relate to. It is due to this talent that she devastated the world when it was taken away from us by leukaemia.
Whilst Ms. James was still alive her legacy had already begun. Despite At Last originally being a Glen Miller song, few would choose this association over Etta James. It appears to have been a speciality of James’ to take a standard and turn it into a completely unrecognisable record, one which would rival the original and in the case of At Last eliminate the playing of any previous recordings. It quickly found its feet as a classic for first dances at weddings and even made its way to the Inauguration Ball for President Barack Obama.
Beyoncé has claimed that “if it wasn’t for you Etta James, artists like me would not have this opportunity”. A bold statement coming from a lady who has the capacity to make 175,000 people shiver at her sheer presence; so if for nothing else we must thank Ms. James for that. But what is it that makes her so inspirational for artists like her? She wasn’t the first woman to make a soul record, she wasn’t renowned for song-writing, and she had a severe drug-addiction. So what was it?
Emerging in the early 60’s not long after the birth of Soul Etta James combined Soul with Rhythm and Blues and most notably on her debut single she experimented with the addition of Rock’n’Roll. It is this fusion that many associate with her and what gained her a spot in the Rock’n’Roll hall of fame. It was the perfect recipe for a woman with such vivacious talent and a seductively dangerous voice. Maybe it’s just listening to her records and that voice that has placed her on this pedestal along with her sharp humour and that infectious confidence raising her high as a strong icon for young artists to aspire to.
The soul music genre has always lingered around the music charts, however recently it has become more fashionable to listen to Otis Redding, sing along to Aretha Franklin and dance like James Brown. Yet Etta James is not a fad, she set a talent-barrier for soul music, she gives the meaning to soul, you can feel the trouble and hear her desire in her songs. It’s the simple desperation of her voice on Trust In Me, the sadness of All I Could Do Was Cry, and the subtle sexiness oozing out of I Just Want To Make Love To You, which invites people into her deepest emotions.
It is a beautiful paradox that despite her presence having gone we will still have the voice, and truthfully that is all anyone ever really knew about her.
