Commercially, the 1970s weren´t nearly as kind to Etta James as the 1950s and ´60s had been. The sleekness that characterized Northern "uptown" soul and disco didn´t appeal to the big-voiced belter, who stuck to her guns and continued to embrace the type of gritty, hard-hitting Southern soul and down-home blues that had earned her so devoted a following. Though absent from Black radio playlists, she had no problem attracting enthusiastic live audiences. At 41, James sounds like she´s very much in her prime on this live recording from 1981. Whether tearing into an Otis Redding medley, her hit "Tell Mama" or Chicago blues staples like Willie Dixon´s "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and Jimmy Reed´s "Baby, What You Want Me to Do," the earthy singer clearly excels by sticking with what she does best. One of the CD´s most pleasant surprises is a version of the Eagles´ "Take It to the Limit," which works remarkably well in an R&B setting.