Wall Street Journal

The funeral of R&B legend Etta James was a star-studded affair, with appearances by Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera.

The event was held yesterday in the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California.
Aguilera was a long-time admirer of James, and paid tribute to her idol by singing James’s signature song “At Last.” It’s a tune that has been much covered over the years; notably, Beyonce sang it while President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama took their first dance at an inaugural ball in Washington, D.C. (Beyonce also played James in the 2008 movie “Cadillac Records.”) The song was written in 1941 and James popularized it in the early 1960s.

“There’s a line in this song that says ‘I found a dream that I could speak to,’” Aguilera said before she began to sing. “And for me that dream, all my life, has been Etta James.”
Aguilera delivered a full-throated rendition, with minimal accompaniment. Her vocal swoops and growls drew appreciative cheers and whistles from the funeral goers.

“Thank you Etta James for the inspiration–I love you,” Aguilera said at the end of the performance.
You can listen to the song here. What did you think of Aguilera’s version? How did you feel about Beyonce’s take? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Yahoo! Music

It is a risky move for an artist to reinterpret a classic song from a legendary singer, but Christina Aguilera’s gospel rendition of Etta James’s “At Last” moved those in attendance at James’s funeral services Saturday at the Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena, California.

Aguilera dropped her already deep register a few octaves to belt the song’s opening, “At last,” prompting shouting and whistling from the congregation. Before Aguilera began singing, she described James as “the one that cut right to my soul.”

After the opening, Aguilera’s vocals complimented the church organ and piano arrangement. The popular wedding song took on a new direction. The lines “My lonely days are over,” “The skies above are blue,” and “And here we are in heaven” now felt more spiritual than romantic. The approving onlookers offered a standing ovation.