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October 21, 2011An

Renowned R&B singer Etta James recently announced that her forthcoming album will mark the end of her 50-year-career. The 73-year-old has faced a bevy of health issues including Leukemia over the past year and said that her album The Dreamer will signal her retirement. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2009.

The new album, set to be released on Oct. 25, will feature new renditions of tracks made famous by Ray Charles, Guns N' Roses and Otis Redding.

Following the album's release, she says that she will concentrate on her health. “I wish to thank all my fans who have shown me love and support over all these years. I love you all,” she said in a statement.

James skyrocketed to stardom in the 1960s with the ballads “All I Could Do is Cry,” “Trust in Me,” and her signature song “At Last."

Amid personal and professional issues, she earned a Grammy nomination in 1973 for her album Etta James. In 2008, James' life was spotlighted in the film Cadillac Records. Singer Beyoncé portrayed James and recorded her own version of “At Last” for the film's soundtrack.

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[Edited 10/21/11 9:03am]

Thank you Etta for sharing us with your music for the last 57 years.

Should be interesting. I love Etta! Her book is a MUST read.

I posted this a couple of days ago; at least you got a response. I'm glad that Etta is able to give us one last swan song for her amazing career.

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Track listing for The Dreamer:

1. Groove Me (King Floyd)
2. Champagne and Wine (Otis Redding/Roy Johnson/Alan Walden)
3. Dreamer (Jerry Zaremba)
4. Welcome To The Jungle (William Rose/Saul Hudson)
5. Misty Blue (Bob Montgomery)
6. Boondocks (Karen Fairchild/Wayne Kirkpatrick/Kimberly Roads/Phillip Sweet/Jimi Westbrook)
7. Cigarettes and Coffee (Jerry Butler/Jay Walker/Eddie Thomas)
8. In The Evening (Ray Charles)
9. Too Tired (Maxwell Dixon/Sam Ling/Johnny Watson)
10. That's The Chance You've Got to Take (Johnny Watson)
11. Let Me Down Easy (James Milton Campbe

Nice cover.

Album review: Etta James' The Dreamer

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Etta James’ health has been deteriorating in recent years, so as sad as the announcement is that The Dreamer is her final album as she retires from music, it isn’t a shock.

The songs on the 73-year-old R&B-blues-jazz singer’s first collection in five years have none of the overt swan-song character of the album Glen Campbell turned out earlier this year with the help of producer Julian Raymond.

Instead, we get a career-twilight portrait of James and her darker-than-ever voice in a set of moody, bluesy and slow-jam groove numbers. One exception may be the chugging “Too Tired,” an up-tempo workout in which she nonetheless embodies the world-weary sentiment of the title.

Axl Rose is not a master of funk and blues, but after hearing James’ in-the-pocket treatment of Guns N’ Roses’ signature song, “Welcome to the Jungle,” he may be considered one of the genre’s noted songwriters. Experiments aside, she’s mostly ruminating on the topic that’s been ground zero for most of her long career: love.

The album high point may be her seven-minute exploration of Otis Redding’s “Cigarettes and Coffee,” as she sorts through all the emotional possibilities in this intimate conversation between lovers, taking what seems like all the time in the world. That time on Earth is a finite proposition just makes it resonate that much stronger.

Etta James - The Dreamer

Three stars (Out of four)