I don’t have many words today. Like a lot of Americans, I was expecting something bad from the Supreme Court yesterday … but it was worse than the worst I imagined. Don’t worry: this space will remain as free of politics as an almost lifelong political junky can make it.
I had also wanted to keep this space free of a certain very litigious band. Fortunately, poking around YouTube this morning revealed a cover that is so much better than their version.
I’m not sure how the incomparable Etta James hasn’t been featured here before, but her powerful rendition of “Take It to the Limit” almost makes up for it. This morning, I needed the church she infuses the song with.
Her recordings for Modern and Chess in the 1950s and 1960s are some of the most important soul music ever done. The tracks she cut in Muscle Shoals in the late '60s are a revelation.
Etta strikes deep into my heart. Love her music and her story.