Etta Britt – Etta Does Delbert
Back in the ’70s, when Etta Britt’s bassist asked her what she was doing singing country music, he didn’t mean any disrespect. She won CMA vocalist of the year for five years running as part of the Nashville-based trio Dave and Sugar from 1979-’85. But, as anybody who has heard her sing old school R&B can attest, the question should be, “What took you so long to get around to it?”
Britt started the R&B part of her career in 2012 with her solo debut, Out Of the Shadows, featuring a duet with Delbert McClinton on “Leap Of Faith.” Delbert liked her so much he invited her to be part of his his 2014 Sandy Beaches Cruise. That encouraged her to record an entire album of Delbert songs, Etta Does Delbert.
Her voice was made for this stuff. Britt sounds like she just stumbled out of a Delta juke joint after a night of lubricating her tonsils with busthead whiskey while howling at the moon. She just kills it. Her version of McClinton’s “Every Time I Roll the Dice” hits like a punch in the snoot. It’s every bit as good as Delbert’s. Etta’s husband Bob delivers a guitar line that’s an unholy mix of Keith Richards and Sonny Landreth, joined at the hip, for a nasty, snaky undercurrent as Etta hauls her tonsils out and swings ’em over her head, walloping you upside the noggin with funky, gritty soul.
“Old Weakness Coming On Strong” sounds like it was busted out of church, stomped in the mud, dragged through a honky tonk, and set on fire. Britt doesn’t just cover this stuff, she infuses it with the same joy and enthusiasm that Delbert put into his original versions.
She’s fearless, covering Bobby Charles’ “The Jealous Kind,” which, given the competition, is an arduous assignment. In addition to McClinton’s definitive 1980 version from the album of the same name, form a line behind Joe Cocker (from Stingray in ’76), Ray Charles (’77’s True To Life), Etta James (’88’s Seven year Itch), Johnny Adams (’93’s Good Morning Heartache), and Frankie Miller (2004, Standing On The Edge). But Britt’s version stands up to them all, slugging it out soul to soul.
McClinton’s phrasing is one of the biggest selling points for his music, and Britt proves an adept disciple on “When I Was With You,” making it flow smoothly over husband’s Bob’s jagged edged guitar and long time McClinton keyboardist Kevin McKendree’s B-3 burbling.
This is Britt’s masterpiece. She doesn’t just have Delbert covered, she’s got him surrounded. From now on, he needs to take Satchel Paige’s advice: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Her name is Etta Britt. Watch out-she’s coming up fast.
Grant Britt