The Heart of a Woman

1	You Don't Know What Love Is 5:28
2	Good Morning Heartache 5:28
3	My Old Flame 6:20
4	Say It Isn't So 4:55
5	At Last 4:40
6	Tenderly 5:27
7	I Only Have Eyes for You 6:35
8	I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 6:25
9	You Go to My Head 4:21
10	A Sunday Kind of Love 6:00
11	If It's the Last Thing I Do 5:47
12	Only Women Bleed 4:48

Barnes & Noble

Etta James Big, bold blues belter Etta James throws down a serious change of pace on HEART OF A WOMAN. This time out, the reigning First Lady of the Blues trips the light fantastic with a crossover sound that harnesses her raw power with a much smoother sound. Embracing a set of old and new standards with a pop-jazz treatment, James turns in the laid-back vocal performance of a very sated-sounding diva. Scorched-earth blues gives way to cooler material. Brazilian-tinged acoustic guitar creates a mellow mood on the opening, "You Don't Know What Love Is." That hint of Rio is repeated as James takes on "My Old Flame," "I Only Have Eyes for You," and "Say It Isn't So." Fans of her rowdier outings take note: There are remakes of some of James's classics -- "At Last," "Sunday Kind of Love," and "Only Women Bleed" -- but these too have been made over with a softer touch. Roberta Penn

All Music Guide

Heart of a Woman is a great idea for an album. Etta James chose 11 love songs from her favorite female singers -- Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Carmen McRae -- augmenting the album with a new version of her signature song, "At Last." She has recorded several of these songs before (including Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," which inexplicably became a standard for both her and McRae), but the difference with Heart of a Woman is the context. Here, they're put in a smooth jazz setting, masterminded by James, who has producer credit. There's no denying that Etta James is a powerhouse, one of the finest blues singers of the 20th century, and she still possesses an exceptionally strong voice, robust and filled with passion. Stephen Thomas Erlewine