The Dreamer

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All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Apparently, Etta James' musical career ends with The Dreamer. The legendary vocalist announced a few months back that this would be her final album; she's retiring from music in order to deal with serious medical issues. Co-produced by James, Josh Sklair, and her sons Danto and Sametto, The Dreamer's 11 tracks offer an imperfect but utterly worthy portrait of the places she's been musically with a couple of selections that reveal her dictum that "every song is a blues." Her signature meld of soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, and country are all on display here. The production underscores her lifelong commitment to these styles and suits the material at large. Her ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Apparently, Etta James' musical career ends with The Dreamer. The legendary vocalist announced a few months back that this would be her final album; she's retiring from music in order to deal with serious medical issues. Co-produced by James, Josh Sklair, and her sons Danto and Sametto, The Dreamer's 11 tracks offer an imperfect but utterly worthy portrait of the places she's been musically with a couple of selections that reveal her dictum that "every song is a blues." Her signature meld of soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, and country are all on display here. The production underscores her lifelong commitment to these styles and suits the material at large. Her musical accompanists include not only her co-producers, but guitarists Leo Nocentelli and Big Terry de Rouen, saxophonist Jimmy Z., trombonist Kraig Kilby, and trumpeter Lee Thornburg. Ms. James' choice of material is rigorous even if two of its selections are questionable: the cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" doesn't lend itself well to the choogling boogie arrangement here; and the funkified reading of contemporary country stars Little Big Town's "Boondocks" sounds like she tried too hard to make it fit. These cuts aside, the rest of the material is vintage; it reflects the work of Ms. James' influences and contemporaries. Her readings of Otis Redding's "Cigarettes & Coffee" and "Champagne & Wine," Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer," Bob Montgomery's country-pop standard "Misty Blue," Ray Charles' "In the Evening," Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "That's the Chance You Take" and "Too Tired," and Little Milton's "Let Me Down Easy" all contain within them not only their original traces, but the musical experience necessary to bring their subtler, deeper meanings to the fore. She re-creates these songs not as mere touchstones or mementos from a career, but as signposts to the living, breathing tradition that bears the signature and considerable influence of her life upon them. The Dreamer is a fitting -- if not perfect -- bookend to one of American popular music's most iconic lives.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 11/8/2011
  • Label: Verve Forecast
  • UPC: 602527831893
  • Catalog Number: 001612802
  • Sales rank: 28,020

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Groove Me (4:40)
  2. 2 Champagne & Wine (3:58)
  3. 3 Dreamer (4:58)
  4. 4 Welcome to the Jungle (3:01)
  5. 5 Misty Blue (4:58)
  6. 6 Boondocks (4:12)
  7. 7 Cigarettes & Coffee (6:22)
  8. 8 In the Evening (4:47)
  9. 9 Too Tired (2:32)
  10. 10 That's the Chance You Take (3:48)
  11. 11 Let Me Down Easy (7:04)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Etta James Primary Artist
Jimmy Z. Saxophone
Josh Sklair Guitar
Terry Deroven Guitar
Kraig Kilby Trombone
Bobby Murray Guitar
Leo Nocentelli Guitar
Lee Thornburg Trumpet
Sametto James Bass
David K. Mathews Keyboards
Donto James Drums
Technical Credits
Bobby "Blue" Bland Composer
Etta James Producer
Jerry Butler Composer
Ray Charles Composer
Otis Redding Composer
King Floyd Composer
Josh Sklair Producer, rhythm arrangement
Bernie Grundman Mastering
Roy Johnson Composer
Wayne Kirkpatrick Composer
Bob Montgomery Composer
Axl Rose Composer
Lee Thornburg Horn Arrangements
Jay Walker Composer
Johnny "Guitar" Watson Composer
Terry Howard Engineer
Lupe DeLeon Executive Producer
Rudy Calvo Shoot Coordinator
Joe Josea Composer
Jules Taub Composer
Allan Walden Composer
Sametto James Producer
Ryan Null Photo Coordination
Kimberly Roads Composer
Karen Fairchild Composer
Jimi Westbrook Composer
Artis Mills Executive Producer
Phillip Sweet Composer
Philip Manning Cover Design
Saul Hudson Composer
Donto James Producer, Engineer
The Roots Band rhythm arrangement
James Milton Campbell Jr. Composer
Eddie Thomas Composer
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