Etta James and the Roots Band: Burnin' Down the House

The first thing you should know about this show at L.A.'s House of Blues by singer Etta James is that she spends the entire hour and a half sitting down. Now, this is probably not by choice; the woman is, well, big, and not in the best of health. But it does rob the performance of some of its dynamic power, as instead of roaming the stage, James just sits there, gesturing, mugging and clowning instead of really immersing herself in the music. Oh, she's still a great singer, capable of sexy, smoldering might, even if she unleashes it only rarely here. And she's versatile too, at ease with material ranging from bluesy fare like “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “Rock Me Baby,” and her own “I'd Rather Go Blind” to standards like “My Funny Valentine” and “At Last”; she even takes on “Born to Be Wild” (!) and Al Green's “Love and Happiness.” But the fact that she needs to be prompted when it comes to announcing some of her band members' names is indicative of the rather perfunctory, by-the-numbers nature of this gig. Sure, this is Etta James we're talking about, so you can't really go wrong. But Burnin' Down the House is far from her finest moment, and is hardly an essential addition to anyone's collection. Optional. Aud: P. (S. Graham)