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Matriarch of the Blues
Blues · 2000 · 12 tracks

Matriarch of the Blues

Etta James

A gritty, late-career reclamation of the blues throne. Etta’s gravel-etched voice commands the room over thick Hammond organ swells and deep-pocket family grooves.

December 12, 2000 · Private Music

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Matriarch of the Blues is the sound of a legend returning to the porch after a long journey through other territories. After years spent exploring jazz standards and country music, Etta James came home to the blues in 2000 with a voice that had aged into a magnificent, weathered instrument. It is thick with the smoke of a thousand clubs and the wisdom of a woman who has seen it all. This isn't the polite, polished blues of a revivalist; it is a heavy, funk-inflected session recorded with her own sons, giving the entire project a loose, intimate, and fiercely protective energy.

Tracklist · 12 Tracks
01
Gotta Serve Somebody
6:49
02
Don't Let My Baby Ride
5:16
03
Rhymes
4:36
04
Try a Little Tenderness
4:47
05
Miss You
6:00
06
Hawg for Ya
3:46
07
You're Gonna Make Me Cry
6:18
08
Walking the Back Streets
7:08
09
Let's Straighten It Out
5:24
10
Born on the Bayou
4:42
11
Come Back Baby
5:57
12
Hound Dog
3:43
Moments Worth Listening For
The roar of the motorcycle engine that transitions into the heavy, authoritative groove of Gotta Serve Somebody.
The way Etta drags out the syllables in Miss You, turning the Rolling Stones' disco-rocker into a sultry, late-night blues crawl.
The interplay between Leo Nocentelli’s funk-inflected guitar and Mike Finnigan’s Hammond B3 organ during the bridge of Born on the Bayou.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Matriarch of the Blues sound next to the rest of Etta James's catalogue?

Hand Played+2.2σ

The production is built around hand played than this artist usually allows.

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