At Last! is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James, released on Argo Records in November 1960 and produced by Phil and Leonard Chess.

After a few years in limbo following early R&B hits like Dance With Me, Henry and Good Rocking Daddy, Etta James stepped back into the spotlight in 1961 with her first Chess release, At Last. The title track, alongside All I Could Do Was Cry and Trust in Me, took James onto both the R&B and pop charts.

What makes At Last such a vital record is the strength of the material right across the album. Etta James moves effortlessly through jazz standards like Stormy Weather and A Sunday Kind of Love, while bringing real force and feeling to Willie Dixon’s blues classic I Just Want to Make Love to You.

On the title track especially, Etta James shows just how much range she had, shifting from full-bodied blues power to lighter, more delicate phrasing with complete ease. That Ruth Brown-inspired growl gives these performances even more character. She would go on to score major later hits like Tell Mama, but At Last captures her at a remarkable peak across a rich, swinging set of blues, R&B, and jazz standards.

Tracks

• Anything To Say You’re Mine
• My Dearest Darling
• Trust In Me
• A Sunday Kind Of Love
• You Tough Mary
• I Just Want To Make Love To You
• At Last
• All I Could Do Was Cry
• Stormy Weather
• Girl Of My Dreams
• Don’t Cry Baby
• Fool That I Am
• One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
• In My Diary
• Seven Day Fool
• It’s Too Soon To Know
• Dream
• I’ll Dry My Tears