Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto: “In the Basement” Listed in Best Chess Soul Records: An Essential Top 10

The Chess label more than held its own against the likes of Motown and Stax – as this run-down of the 10 best Chess soul records of all time shows.

Published on December 7, 2022
By Ian McCann

It’s curious how history changes the way artists are perceived. These days Sugar Pie DeSanto is usually regarded as a blues belter and Etta James is known for sobbing ballads such as “At Last,” or her salacious version of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” Both singers were actually formidable proponents of modern soul throughout the 60s, and when they got together to let rip, as they did on “In The Basement,” it’s hard to understand how the microphone even managed to capture so much soul. 

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