It hardly matters what
Etta James
sings, whether it be
country
,
blues
soul
R&B
, or even
pop
tunes; she puts a stamp on it. This super-budget second volume of her
gospel
"hits" -- she never really had one let alone two CDs' worth -- by the completely dodgy
Curb
label (they simply suck when it comes to reissues) is a solid collection not because it is compiled well, but because
James
could sing license plates and they'd still stir your soul. There are a number of
traditional
tunes -- and
could get all semiotic and call the tunes themselves hits, even if they weren't by
-- along with readings of
Edwin Hawkins
'
"Oh Happy Day"
and
Hank Williams
"I Saw the Light,"
backed by a
choir. ~ Thom Jurek