Love Songs [MCA]

1	At Last 3:02
2	A Sunday Kind of Love 3:18
3	My Dearest Darling 3:05
4	Trust in Me 3:01
5	If I Can't Have You 2:59
6	How Do You Speak to an Angel 2:40
7	Someone to Watch over Me 3:40
8	Again 3:43
9	I Want to Be Loved (But Only by You) 3:27
10	Lovin' Arms 3:50
11	Lovin' You More Every Day 3:24
12	The Love of My Man 2:42
13	It Must Be Your Love 3:00
14	Never My Love 3:50

Barnes & Noble

One of the classic R&B divas, Etta James brought a chunk of the blues to everything she sang. This collection of romantic songs from James's splendid period with Chess Records in the 1960s is saturated with the earthy vocalisms that make James such an entrancing stylist. James could grab a hold of a banal lyric and turn it into an affecting poem with her massive vocal equipment, bluesy phrasing, and guttural utterances of pain and delight. Big hits are included here ("At Last," "Sunday Kind of Love"), but everything James touched from this time was transformed into aural gold. Hear gems like "I Want to Be Loved (But Only by You") and "Again," and decide if there was ever a more erotic singer than James. -- William Pearl

All Music Guide

Drawn almost entirely from her Argo/Chess recordings of the '60s (although there are some cuts from the early '70s), Love Songs is a fine selection of romantic music from one of the greatest blues singers of her generation. There are hits here, highlighted by "At Last," but mood overrules chart position, so these 14 songs wind up setting a seductive atmosphere and maintaining it from beginning to end. It's not essential for collectors, although some songs aren't all that easy to come by elsewhere. Instead, it's an album for casual fans, those who like James' style, especially when it's presented in a romantic setting. For these listeners, it's very worthwhile. Stephen Thomas Erlewine