Nr. 4 – Etta James

I don’t know if I have a good explanation for ranking Etta James this high on the list. But I do know I wouldn’t change it. Maybe it’s her voice, maybe it’s her attitude or maybe it’s something I just can’t put my finger on. But it’s certainly not the movie Cadillac Records where she is portrayed by Beyoncé Knowles, which to me seems to give the character of Etta James an air of Disney. Almost like casting Kelly Clarkson as Janis Joplin, Will Smith as Jimi Hendrix, Zac Efron as Curt Cobian or Jessica Simpson as Marilyn Monroe. If you’ve read my blog you know I’ve got nothing against Beyoncé, but she seems too sweet to play Etta. Etta James has a rough attitude and she was known to be like “one of the boys”. (I thought to myself who I’d like to see play Etta James instead but I couldn’t come up with someone else. So if you have any suggestions, do tell me.) Etta herself has described she felt she had some kind of rage inside of her wanting to come out throughout her life. She used her voice to let out her emotions. When she sings you can hear she sings with her heart.