When professor James Earle Hines took five-year-old gospel prodigy Jamesetta Hawkins under his wing at the Los Angeles Baptist church choir, the World Trade Center wouldn't even be conceived for nearly three decades, and it would be half a century before the towers came roaring unforgettably down. Even Johnny Otis wouldn't know Jamesetta's name for another nine years, when he became so enamored of the 14-year old's soon-to-be hit, "Roll With Me Henry," that he had her record the song with he and his band. The song topped 1955's R&B charts, Otis inverted her first name to create the stage presence that would come to be known as Etta James, and the rest is history.

In the years since Ms. Hawkins blossomed into the self-poclaimed "Matriarch of the Blues," many epochs, both personal and national, have drifted in and out of James's life. Tirelessly recording her way out of a long bout with drug addiction, Etta James's musical persona underwent several incarnations. From 50's doo-wop to 60's soul to 70's rock, funk and disco, Etta James reemerged in 1988 with the soulful Seven Year Itch on Island records. A series of mixed albums for various labels followed, including Elektra's The Right Time, produced by Jerry Wexler in 1992.

2000's Matriarch of the Blues saw James returning to form and command with a snarling collection of R&B rockers and ballads, covering everyone from Ray Charles to the Rolling Stones. Among the album's standouts was an invigorated rendition of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody," a preachy tune from Dylan's born again years that served as the perfect invitation for James to revisit the days of the L.A. Baptist church choir. The album foreshadowed things to come, with sons Danto and Sametto lending their hands to Etta's rediscovered disposition.

Guitarists Bobby Murray and Josh Sklain of James's "Roots Band" sizzle throughout, rivaling Robert Quine and Fernando Saunders of Lou Reed's famously blistering Blue Mask days. Singeing through standout rockers like the opening and immediately catchy "Somebody to Love," the ruggedly bluesy "The Blues is My Business," and the rollicking, textured "Old Weakness," Murray and Sklain slip unexpectedly into searing jams, bursting out of nowhere on the atmospheric ballad, "On The 7th Day." "On the seventh day, God made the blues," James intones.

Time and trouble have entrenched themselves into James's voice, deepening it into the kind of pathos-ridden holler that lends itself perfectly to the album's onslaught of emotionally beleaguered lyrics. It is a lot to say that James, after all this time and struggle, can still approach the triumph of her trademark "At Last," her monumental 1961 soul hit, but throughout "Let's Roll," James revisits themes of passion and consequence with the unmistakable sincerity borne of so many wounds. "Passion will burn, burn like gasoline," James sings in her robust, embattled croon on "Please, No More," the album's most wrenching ballad:

We start a fight

Please, please no more

While James's penchant for balladry endures, age has also proven unsuccessful in subduing her capacity for ripping into a tune. The uproarious "Strongest Weakness" sounds like some early 80's Eurythmics power ballad, minus the weird hair and synthesizer. One of the album's many fine pieces of production, "Strongest Weakness" illustrates the artful minimalism that allows each song to speak for itself.

With many artists returning to the roots of rock and blues these days-John Mellencamp's folkish Trouble No More, Van Morrison's R&B laden Down the Road, and Richard Thompson's abandonment of recent, slicker albums in favor of his new, stripped-bare Old Kit Bag, to name a few-it seems that Norah Jones's appealingly understated Come Away With Me was more of a barometer of the contemporary listener's appetite than a one-time fluke. Etta James's resurgence, then, comes at precisely the right moment. Let's Roll's unremittingly raw approach seems just the thing the people want. But while the aforementioned artists strain to capture those traditional sounds lurking vaguely beneath the surface of their musical achievements, Etta James is merely unleashing the ghosts that have inhabited her voice since the first day she stepped into that L.A. church choir. This is no "return" to roots; these ARE the roots, in all their simple luster.

The material on this cd varies in quality, but when Ms. James sings the songs they become five star jewels. The band cooks like there is no tomorrow. It appears to be basic blues/rock until you concentrate on the band which is a difficult thing to do when Ms. James is wailing. Most of the songs, as the title implies, are rockers, but there are a few ballads which add spice to the mix.

This is the real thing. She is a legend, a soul queen, not one of the new "belly button" singers who if they did not have the new technology would never hit a note on key. Over her career she has sung many types of songs,blues, rock, ballads and standards to name a few, while today's new singers are all singing the same song, the same way , at the same time.

Buy this and listen to the real soul.

This CD is a must for Etta fans! Her voice is

in excellent shape, the band cooks like nobody's

business, and the songs--most of which are new,

not covers--suit her well. Several of them

have an almost "swamp rock" feel that reminded

me of Creedence's classic LP's. The liner notes

talk about it being a "rock" recording, but it's

basically Etta's trademark style, which as you

know is 1000% pure soul. ENJOY!

Since the day in 1962 when I borrowed an LP titled "At Last" I have been addicted to the voice and style of Etta James; I've amassed everything she's ever recorded. We have been the benefactor of her incredible strength in overcoming serious personal problems and returning to us in the 80s.

If you've never actually experienced this dynamic lady but would like to begin, I would recommend you begin with "Let's Roll". This recent release captures Etta James at her most powerful and sensuous best. Every cut demonstrates her trademark style. If after experiencing "Let's Roll" you don't immediately seek out many of her other recordings, I can only assume you were born without a central nervous system. I believe this may be the best she's ever done. Now in her 60s, the lady can still bring it.

Just to update a previous review, "Let's Roll" received the 2004 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.