All the Way

By Raymond Fiore
Published on March 13, 2006 05:00AM EST
Image
Photo: Etta James: Retna Ltd.

Paging Joe Henry! The producer who guided soul-senior-citizen Betty Lavette’s achingly triumphant 2005 opus of covers to critical acclaim would have been a fine choice to help this R&B great regain her 21st century footing on All the Way. Instead, Etta James has sunken her rich yet increasingly shaky alto into toothless versions of ”I Believe I Can Fly” and ”Imagine” only an orthodontist’s office could forgive.

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