First Spin
Hear Beyoncé As Etta James 'At Last'
You've probably noticed that we here at SoulBounce have been purposely ignoring the onslaught of new music and videos from Beyoncé's upcoming double album that has the blogosphere in a tizzy. It's not that we don't like Bey (OK, OK, maybe some of us don't) and putting an item up about her will guarantee the crazies come out like clockwork and raise our hits, but there just so happen to be other artists/music/videos/random ish worth talking about in urban music. We may include a line about her in Morning Soul, but as a whole we try to keep it Beyoncé-lite around these parts. It hasn't always worked, but when she does find her way on the site it's for good reason. Such as today with the online leak of her remake of the Etta James classic "At Last" from the Cadillac Records soundtrack. We saw her do this live on Fashion Rocks last month, and reaction was mixed at best. I happened to like her live version, but something is missing in translation on the recording. Knowles' rendition is restrained and devoid of passion; she lacks James' fire and yearning. I still like the song, but I don't love it. I'll reserve that feeling for the original. Advantage: Etta. [H/T: VIBE]
Beyoncé : "At Last"
Music from the Motion Picture Cadillac Records Available on 12/2 [Amazon]
Tags: audio, beyonce, cadillac records, etta james
Comments
At Last isn't a sad song, it's a love song. No... Beyonce is no Etta James. Etta James can only sing the song the way it was meant to be sang because it is HER song,. However Beyonce, sang the song with the same love and passion that Etta sang it, only she made it hers. It's a song about finding love, at last, and since Beyonce has done this, she did the song justice.
Cherrone Jones | December 6, 2008 10:04 AM | PermalinkIf you haven't had the kind of life that instills soul and pain and loss, you can't sing like Etta. Period. Sasha Fierce was born into money and never had to eat oatmeal for breakfast and dinner because it was all there was. She probably hasn't eaten leftovers unless it was a late night second helping after Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not knocking Jay-Z's wife, I'm just saying that if life hasn't put that kind of struggle and grit into you, film/music can't bring it out of you. Even Ring The Alarm wasn't convincing. Just loud and harsh. I had to laugh when she was talking about being "damned if she sees another bitch on his arm", and then continues to later talk about rich bobbles, vvs stones, chinchilla coats, rolls etc. If the emphasized point about why she can't fathom letting him go is because of material loss...?-- case in point. Something tells me that in a few years, Jay-Z's lifestyle will help her be able to sing with a little more pain and deep rooted emotion. For her sake, hopefully, he'll be good to her and vice versa. My opinion. So is the Eartha Kitt thing true? Who's next? Whitney Houston's life story? Will she play Mahalia Jackson? Maybe Aretha. Perhaps, Patti LaBelle. OH I KNOW... LIZA MINELLI Let's hope they save Lena for Alicia Keys.
Janelle | November 28, 2008 1:32 PM | PermalinkI love Beyonce, but this was just not her song at all...im so dissapointed. I agree with others, I can just close my eyes and imagine Jill Scott just killin this song. I guess looks beats talent still...
mzB | November 26, 2008 2:40 AM | Permalinkok this version wasnt as good as when she did it live but hell yeah Jill Scott wouldve have killed this song i think if i heard her sing it i would be crying right now so serious but this version by Beyonce wasnt bad it was good just not amazing like i thought it would sound because of how her voice is
Z | November 20, 2008 8:37 PM | Permalink"Knowles' rendition is restrained and devoid of passion..."
I usually feel this way about most things Beyonce related, but she surprisingly did better than I expected. lol
suga | October 27, 2008 6:56 PM | PermalinkHARUMPH! Glad that I already have the original on CD.
And Bey is playing Eartha Kitt? In what universe?? DOUBLE HARUMPH!
I suppose the standard of acting ability was tossed out of the window in black biopics after Angela and Lawrence forever redefined Ike & Tina. Hasn't been a good one since, that I can recall. Not even my beloved Will Smith as Ali. Save for Mos Def in Something That The Lord Has Made, which was excellent.
Stephanie Renee | October 27, 2008 2:27 PM | PermalinkNaaahhhh man. We all know Bey can sing, but damn, this shit was boring. She does not have that unabashed, husky, brashness of Etta. No can do man, no can do.
Tha Connoisseur | October 26, 2008 3:35 PM | PermalinkHated it! I need her to recapture the anguish she ripped in "Resentment" and bring that same level of passion and sincerity to this classic lyric. There are others who've done "At Last" justice, including Phoebe Snow, Aretha Franklin, Eva Cassidy and Cyndi Lauper; you don't have to be Etta to nail it. So Beyonce doesn't have any excuse.
cornfed | October 24, 2008 12:12 AM | PermalinkLMAO @ jennifer!!!! I SWEAR I be thinking the SAME THING. That girl is sooo lucky.
Cut to: all the qualified Black actresses in the unemployment line.
nOvaMaticONLY etta can do etta's song.
Next up, Eartha Kitt. HOW is she getting these roles????
jennifer | October 23, 2008 7:33 PM | PermalinkNO!!! It's not bad, it's the typical Beyonce sound, but she doesn't do Ms. Etta James justice.
Ikandi-Diva | October 23, 2008 4:53 PM | Permalinkboooooooo!! I just don't like it. She lost me at 0:21, YES, right when she opened her mouth. It doesn't take me there. Jaime Foxx as Ray Charles took me there, JHud as Jennifer Holiday took me there, but not Bey... maybe I'm being a bit harsh
coco | October 23, 2008 4:01 PM | PermalinkBey can sing, but this is not the right song for her. It requires a depth that she doesn't have or at least wasn't exhibiting (and why not since she's playing the title roll.?1?) I would love hear Jill Scott sing the mess out of this song. She can do rich, velvet, then switch to flowing silk...which is what this song needs.....
DLS77 | October 23, 2008 3:47 PM | Permalink