Etta James has seen it all: in a life lived to the full, she has experienced all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the joy, the pain and then, rejuvenation, reinvention and renewal. Perhaps unlike any one of the dozens of albums she has recorded during a distinguished career that spans five decades, ALL THE WAY could be said to capture – if just one record could possibly do so – a miniature kaleidoscope of the emotions, feelings, expressions and sentiments that this remarkable woman has experienced.  
 
With a range of material that would render most singers helpless, the truly legendary Etta James – a three-time Grammy award winner, NARAS Lifetime Achievement, Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer awardee and W.C. Handy Blues Foundation honoree, who rightfully has her own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame - shows that when it comes to music that speaks to the soul, she is virtually peerless. After all, who else could tackle Leonard Bernstein's classic “Somewhere” in the space of one record and then give "Holding Back The Years" the kind of world-weary workout that makes you say, "Simply who?" in a reference to the song's originator, Simply Red. It takes a whole lotta raw talent to take on such a feat but then this is Etta James, who recently underwent (CHECK NAME OF SURGERY) surgery that resulted in her shedding some 200 pounds. Etta 2006 is, in the words of one of her many classic albums, ‘betta than evah,' with a new spring in her step, a new lease on life and of course a new CD that showcases her enduring talent. “Now I can flaunt my figure wherever I go,” she grins, “and I can go shopping and buy those outfits I always wanted to wear!”

In much the way she is a musical storyteller, Etta relishes the opportunity to talk about her choices for ALL THE WAY : “The title track? Well, I've been hearing that song since I was a child growing up. My mother was a jazz fanatic and she wanted me to play the piano so I could play jazz tunes. I wish I had learned but I was too busy running out there, getting into trouble! I do remember she always told me, ‘even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it.' I'd like to think I did that with this standard…”

Perhaps best known as a key album cut by ‘70s band Rufus as well as a Top 5 R&B 1974 hit for its writer, Bobby Womack, the funky “Stop On By” is Etta's way of paying tribute to the soul man who she's known for many years: “This song is a real R&B kind of tune just like Bobby Womack who is always very real both with his music and as a person.” In a truly respectful way, Etta pays tribute to another of R&B's legendary pioneers, the late Johnny Guitar Watson via “Strung Out Over You”. Her soulful, bluesy treatment of the song is one of the many standout cuts on ALL THE WAY , Etta giving the classic tune the kind of down home, honest reading which has been her trademark for a remarkable five decades of recording. “Johnny Guitar…just one of my favorite singers of all time,” she sighs. “I first met him when we were both on the road with (renowned bandleader) Johnny Otis in the ‘50s when I was a teenager. We traveled the country in a car together so I would hear him sing every night. His singing style was the one I took on when I was 17 – people used to call me the ‘female' Johnny Guitar Watson and him the male ‘Etta James'. This is the first of his songs I've ever recorded, although I used to do his ‘I Want To Ta-Ta You Baby' in my show. He knew what the blues was all about…”

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