Unforgettable Etta James

For all of my love of vintage music (swing in particular), I can't believe I had never stumbled across this gem of a song by Etta James: Something's Got A Hold on Me. I found it on a Canadian wedding blog, of all places. I found the blog linked from a pretty picture on another blog and suddenly this song was blasting at me. I found it on iTunes under the Chess Blues box set.

The first time I heard it I had one reaction: DAMN. Her voice is absolutely perfect on this track. I love every note she sings. Really, the only other Etta James I was incredibly familiar with was At Last. Which is a good song but has never been one of my absolute favorites. I knew I loved her voice but I never had many examples.

I also found this clip from 1962 where she makes the intro even more amazing. Plus, she has the most perfect eyeliner ever. I think the up-tempo section loses a little something without the backup singers on this one, but the intro is so impressive it makes up for it.