Now I know this isn’t rock, but I decided to review it nonetheless.
First off, I need to start listening to oldies more often. There’s just that certain magic missing from today’s music.
With the release of Beyonce’s new movie “Cadillac Records” (and, let’s face it, the whoring out of her new album as well), we’ve been seeing more and more of the songstress these days. When she’s not prancing around in black and white music videos, she’s promoting a film that took place in an era where everything was thought to be black and white. But I’m not talking just films or politics or racism; I’m talking Beyonce’s cover of Etta James’ classic, “At Last”.
Since the multi-platinum selling artist is playing the role of James in the film, her rendition of the song was recorded. But does it live up to the original? It depends on how you look at covers.
The song sounds pretty much exactly like the original, only Beyonce’s voice has slightly more of a smooth sound (I almost want to describe it as “caramel-like”) compared to the slight raspiness of Etta James’ classic voice. I, personally, am the type of person who enjoys covers that have that certain twist and originality from the cover artist/band that make it different yet still recognizable from the original. In this case, Beyonce’s cover is for a role portraying a specific public figure so I think its best that they didn’t change much (if anything) this time around. The instantly recognizable strings still welcome the listener into one of the most romantic songs ever recorded and give way to what can only be described as a feeling of a better sense of being that just wants to make you sway with your mop in the kitchen. The bass still slowly hops around Beyonce’s voice just as it did James’ and as mentioned before, the voices sound almost exactly alike as I discovered when I heard the songs back-to-back and could barely tell the difference.
Though I have yet to see the film (released December 5th, 2008) I would have to say that Beyonce was a good choice. But keep in mind that this is based solely on her performance of the song. Beyonce does a spectacular job of the classic but you have to admit, nothing beats a classic.
Etta James beautifully conveys her happiness that she finally found “the one” in a way that no one can match, not even Beyonce.