Over the past 40 years, Etta James’s career has been revived by soundtrack appearances, jazz ballads, and live sets. But on Blues to the Bone, the big, bossy-voiced singer, who has been performing since she was 13, goes back to the days when she recorded for Chess Records. In addition to James’s hot R&B hits, Chess also released the recordings of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and just about every other seminal artist in the electric blues movement. It is these masters that James salutes on Blues to the Bone. She slinks like a snake dancer through “Lil’ Red Rooster,” “The Sky Is Crying,” and “That’s Alright.” “Got My Mojo Working” and “Don’t Start Me to Talking” are dusted off for a more contemporary blues sound. Driven by the solid drumming of James’s son Donto, these versions are in line with the live shows James has been doing for the past 20 years. Reflecting the acoustic beginnings of the blues are stripped-to-the-bone renditions of the John Lee Hooker signature tune “Crawlin’ King Snake,” Elmore James’s “The Sky Is Crying,” and Lightnin’ Hopkins’s “Honey, Don’t Tear My Clothes.” Though there is a little renovation done to these blues foundations, Blues to the Bone is a sincere tribute.
