Whos Blue: Rare Chess Recordings of the 60s & 70s

There's a lot going on in Etta James' voice - a lot of pain, a lot of life but, most of all, a lot of strength. Etta has struggled through a few lifetimes of personal heartache and somehow came out the other side. Her story is a testament to survival and the difficulties that seem to come with the territory for female singers - drugs and alcohol, money and weight - and, of course, trouble with men. Maybe that's why she could slay you with that phrasing from such a young age: she had the heartbreak to back it up.' -Bonnie Raitt

This collection comprises over 70 minutes of soul, R&B, funk and jazz gems recorded by Etta for Chess Records in Chicago, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, Hollywood and New Jersey between 1960 and 1976.

With an artist of her stature one might expect all of her Chess material to be available on compact disc by now, but that's not the case. For each of her LPs for the company that exists on CD, there is an equally good one not available in its entirety. The same applies to her B-sides, many of which have never been released on album, let alone CD. There are other compilations of Etta's Chess recordings to be had, but most contain the same familiar titles. Who's Blue offers something different, with 19 out of 24 tracks making their CD debut. Compilation and notes by Mick Patrick.