A night of saucy and sultry R&B

May 11, 2009|Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff

At 71, Etta James knows what she likes and what she doesn't.

Friday night at the House of Blues the legendary R&B vocalist - idol to everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Christina Aguilera to Adele - made clear how she votes on several issues.

She's definitely pro proving that sexuality is about spirit not age as she roared into the funky, salacious "Come to Mama" with throaty glee while miming the rubbing of various body parts. She continued to purr and growl and rub throughout as she admitted to liking "the dirty songs" like Johnny "Guitar" Watson's bawdy "I Wanna Ta-Ta You Baby" and Randy Newman's burlesque classic "You Can Leave Your Hat On." (All that rubbing and miming took on a slightly different tone after she introduced her two sons in the backing band).

Singing what she wants as opposed to what might be expected is also in the plus column for the saucy and self-possessed Ms. James, as she performed covers like Al Green's "Love and Happiness" and the Janis Joplin-associated "Piece of My Heart," a big hit with the sold-out crowd, but not some of her own well-known tunes like "Tell Mama" and "Roll With Me Henry."

Items in the con column for James include Beyoncé, whom she warned to stop trying to sing her song after a glide through her signature number "At Last." James may have lost some of her stamina but, on this song in particular, her voice was still a thing of resonant beauty.

The night's only drag was the literal drag in tempo as songs with rhythmic bite are apparently not among James's favorite things. While slow burners like exquisite heartbreaker "Damn Your Eyes" had individual charms, as the 75-minute set wore on with only occasional pace variations, the mood fluctuated between sultry and soporific.

The laid-back mood may owe somewhat to James's mobility issues. But even if she needed help from her hype man to get onstage and assistance from a scooter to get off, while she was in the spotlight the feisty soul vixen had no trouble commanding it.

Local up and comer Jesse Dee got a warm reception for his simpatico spin on vintage R&B sounds.

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com.