Matriarch of the Blues
Matriarch of the Blues | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | December 12, 2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 64:19 | |||
Label | Private Music | |||
Producer | Donto Metto James Sametto James Lupe DeLeon (executive) | |||
Etta James chronology | ||||
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Matriarch of the Blues is the twenty-fourth studio album by
Matriarch of the Blues received mixed critical reception. Following its release, the album reached a peak position of number two on
Background and composition
Matriarch is composed of rock, soul and blues standards between five and seven minutes in length.[5][8] People magazine contributors described James' vocals as "deeply funky".[9] Mike Finnigan performed the Hammond B3 organ, Leo Nocentelli featured on guitar, and Jimmy Zavala contributed performances on multiple instruments.[9] James' two sons — Donto and Sametto — produced and engineered, and played drums and bass, respectively.[5]
The album begins with the sound of a motorcycle engine.
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 69/100[14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1][15] |
Associated Press | (positive)[16] |
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [17] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[4] |
MSN Music (Expert Witness) | B+[18] |
Rolling Stone | [5][6] |
Matriarch of the Blues received mixed critical reception. AllMusic's Matthew Robinson wrote that James "coast[ed]" through the album and the backing band lacked "youthful vitality".[1] Robinson thought the album's opening track "Gotta Serve Somebody" came across more as a "sleepy suggestion". However, he felt the "draggier pace and intermittent woofs" in "Miss You" added sex appeal and complimented the "funkification" of "Born on the Bayou" and "Hound Dog".[1] Associated Press contributor Gene Bright wrote a positive review of the album but was disappointed with James' cover of "Miss You", writing "the song just can't be slowed and manipulated with any success".[16] People magazine contributors felt that the motorcycle sound in the introduction was unnecessary and considered the album to be more "full-throated gospel-rock" than blues. However, they wrote that James sounded "as sexy and full of sass as she did nearly half a century ago".[9] With James' sons contributing to the album, Bill Milkowski of JazzTimes called the album a "real family affair" and "worthy follow-up" to Heart of a Woman.[13] In his review for Out, Barry Walters complimented Donto and Sametto's rhythm performances. Walters noted that James lacked all of the vocal notes available to her in the 1960s but wrote that her "interpretive abilities are sharper than ever".[11]
The Morning Call's Larry Printz published a negative review, concluding that James' performance was mediocre and that the "nuances in [her] once-formidable voice are long gone". Printz also criticized the slow tempo throughout the album and accused James of "coasting" on her legendary status.[8] James Sullivan of Entertainment Weekly wrote that James' "voice isn't quite the nasty snarl it once was, but the attitude remains". Sullivan thought "Hound Dog" was the album's best composition.[4] Rolling Stone's Marie Elsie St. Léger wrote that James provided a "healthy dose of rootsy feminism and mettle" with her "passionately seasoned and gravel-edged voice". St. Léger also complimented James and her performance for having "inimitable depth" and for "making no apologies and needing no permission to sing it like she feels it".[12] Parke Puterbaugh of Rolling Stone named "Don't Let My Baby Ride", "Hawg for Ya" and "Come Back Baby" as the album's greatest tracks.[5] In his review, Puterbaugh concluded that the album is a "solid return to roots", allowing James the right to reclaim her titular throne.[5]
Chart performance and recognition
The album reached a peak position of number two on
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
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Billboard's Top Blues Albums | 2 |
Track listing
- "Gotta Serve Somebody" (Bob Dylan) – 6:48
- "Don't Let My Baby Ride" (Deadric Malone, O. V. Wright) – 5:16
- "Rhymes" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges) – 4:35
- "Try a Little Tenderness" (Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry M. Woods) – 4:47
- "Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 5:59
- "Hawg for Ya" (Otis Redding) – 3:45
- "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" (Deadric Malone) – 6:17
- "Walking the Back Streets" (Sandy Jones, Jr.) – 7:07
- "Let's Straighten It Out" (Curtis, Latimore, Scotomayer) – 5:24
- "Born on the Bayou" (John Fogerty) – 4:41
- "Come Back Baby" (Ray Charles, Lightnin' Hopkins) – 5:57
- "Hound Dog" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:43
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.[1]
Personnel
- Julie Bruzzone – creative director
- Rudy Calvo – make-up
- Lupe DeLeon – executive producer
- Mike Finnigan – Hammond organ
- Terrance Galloway – assistant engineer
- Donto Metto James – drums, engineer, mixing, percussion, producer
- Etta James – backing vocals, liner notes, vocals
- Sametto James – bass, engineer, mixing, producer
- Sonny Mediana – design, photography
- Bobby Murray – guitar, solo instrumental
- Leo Nocentelli – guitar, solo instrumental
- Tom Poole – trumpet
- Doug Sax – mastering
- Josh Sklair – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, rhythm arrangements, slide guitar
- Jimmy Zavala – harmonica, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Credits adapted from Allmusic.[1]
References
- ^ All Media Guide. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- Park City Daily News. Vol. 149, no. 111. Bowling Green, Kentucky. April 21, 2003. p. 2. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Puterbaugh, Parke (February 1, 2001). "Etta James: Matriarch Of The Blues". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York: Wenner Media. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ Van Hagen, John Demma (October 31, 2000). "Etta James, Lou Rawls Give Old-School Concert In San Francisco". VH1. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ Tribune Company. Archivedfrom the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Catlin, Roger (January 7, 2001). "'Matriarch of the Blues': Etta James". The Daily Gazette. Schenectady, New York. p. G5. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ ISSN 1062-7928. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ a b St. Léger, Marie Elsie (December 11, 2000). "Xzibit Leads the Week's Releases". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York: Wenner Media. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Milkowski, Bill (April 2001). "Etta James: Matriarch of the Blues". JazzTimes. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ "Matriarch Of The Blues – Etta James". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ISBN 9780879307363. Retrieved September 8, 2011. Note: Matthew Robinson's review originally published December 12, 2000.
- ^ a b Bright, Gene (December 29, 2000). "Title: Matriarch of the Blues; Artist: Etta James". Lodi News-Sentinel. Lodi, California: Associated Press. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 17, 2012). "Etta James". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ "Matriarch of the Blues: Charts & Awards". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Tribune Company. Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
External links
- "Mama Tells All: 'Nothing Succeeds Like Singing'", Etta James: Billboard Salutes 50 Years of Soul (Jim Bessman, August 11, 2001)