I'm not sure if this is a new release or a reissue, but the cover looks like a new-ish picture. I know Etta has been sick in recent years, but perhaps she was able to record a final project, a la Glen Campbell.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ND87MC/?tag=imwan-20

Tracklisting from Amazon.com:

1. Groove Me
2. Champagne and Wine
3. Dreamer
4. Welcome to the Jungle
5. Misty Blue
6. Boondocks
7. Cigarettes and Coffee
8. In the Evening
9. Too Tired
10. That's the Chance You Take
11. Let Me Down Easy

Amazon's editorial review states: Etta's last studio recording as she has retired from the music business after more than 50 years!

Bump: Added tracklisting and note from Amazon.com.

Some additional information from online sources:

ETTA JAMES - THE DREAMER

For over half a century, Etta James has all but defined the role of the quintessential rhythm & blues vocalist. She transcends all musical categories and styles with a recording career that spans more than five decades. On October 25, 2011, Etta James will release The Dreamer, her new album through Verve Forecast. This monumental release not only marks her first album in five years, it will be her final studio album before she retires, capping off an incredible fifty-year recording career. James remarks, "I wish to thank all my fans who have shown me love and support over all these years. I love you all." The album features her one-of-a-kind renditions of Otis Redding's "Cigarettes and Coffee" and Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer" to Ray Charles' "In The Evening" and Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle."

The great Etta James has been a musical force and a major hit-maker since the '50s earning numerous accolades including six Grammy Awards®, among them the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, a Best Jazz Vocal Performance and two Hall of Fame Awards. In 1993, James was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2001 she was inducted by both the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. She also is immortalized in Hollywood with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Throughout her career, James created a remarkably deep and diverse catalog of R&B, blues, soul, pop and jazz recordings. James crossed all musical genres and styles and has been cited as a major influence by a wide range of singers from Janis Joplin to Irma Thomas to Christina Aguilera and Adele.

Many have tried to copy or follow her style, but there is only one Etta James.

Etta James – 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 Campbell Jr.)

Produced by: Etta James, Donto James, Josh Sklair, Sametto James

"Welcome To The Jungle"? Is that really how Etta James wants to go out?

There are sound clips available on Amazon's website:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006034ZCA/?tag=imwan-20

I am enjoying this, and Etta still sounds great. It's hard to figure out when this was recorded since there is nothing in the way of notes, nor are there any recording dates. Based on at least one of the songs, "Boondocks", which is a cover of a Little Big Town song from 2005/2006, it could have been around that time period. I believe that according to reports she was diagnosed with dementia in 2009, and she had some serious health issues since that time, so I doubt it would be more recent than 2009.

There are other much older songs covered on this, so no reason think that this was recorded very long ago.

Wow. Loving this album.

(oh, and the Welcome To The Jungle cover kicks all kinds of ass).