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Etta James gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "sexy senior citizen."
The Grammy-winning 68-year-old who shocked mainstream America in the mid-'50s with her explicit lyrics still plays the vamp in her twilight years.
After sauntering on stage at the Woodland Park Zoo, James grinned gleefully as she wiggled her behind at the crowd. The capacity crowd loved it, chuckling and applauding for the woman once known as Miss Peaches.
Though she was a bit unsteady on her feet, she squirmed suggestively and gestured lasciviously atop a large padded stool.
During a saucy version of the late Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "I Wanna Ta-Ta You Baby," James' guitarist thrust his posterior into her lap while she lewdly stroked it. It was all in fun, or course, but maybe something the kids shouldn't have witnessed.
James' seven-piece Roots Band, which included two of her sons, skillfully embellished her classic songs with trumpet, trombone, Hammond B-3 organ, drums, guitars and bass. But even with little accompaniment, James' voice was extraordinary.
Dressed entirely in black -- and 200 pounds lighter because of gastric-bypass surgery -- James opened her show with a sassy take on Muddy Waters' "I Just Wanna Make Love to You."
Her aching version of "I'd Rather Go Blind" and sexy renditions of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and scat-filled "Rock Me Baby" were early highlights.
James introduced her tender hit "At Last" as the song "everyone gets engaged on, gets married on, gets pregnant on." It was lush, heartfelt and beautifully romantic -- a contrast to her saucier stuff.
"Damn Your Eyes," a song about an irresistible attraction, segued into a husky-voiced version of the classic Mexican tune "Besame Mucho."
For her encore, James offered a pining, emotional version of "Sugar on the Floor," a song of unrequited love that was a favorite of James' mother, who gave birth to the future star when she was 14 and unmarried. It was heart-wrenching to hear the pain in James' voice when she tearfully sang, "I lost my mother ... I don't have a father."
Opening act was Seattle's Leroy Bell and His Only Friends. Bell's rich, husky voice enchanted the crowd. The set included songs from his current album, "Two Sides to Every Story," and previous CD, "Spending Time."
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