An Album and a Song is a semi-weekly series where I pick a favorite album and song from a year (starting in 1960) for your listening pleasure. One rule: The year’s album and song can not both come from the same artist.

Like many albums at the time, Etta James debut LP, At Last! was more of a compilation of her current singles then an album as we think of it today. Nevertheless, At Last! is a great work, containing a wonderful variety of R&B and jazz standards (including the classic title track) as heard through her bewitching vocals.

Second only to Sam Cooke, I think Roy Orbison had the best run of singles in the early 60’s, and 1961 was a particularly fruitful year for the artist with “Running Scared”, “Love Hurts” and “Crying”, of which the latter is the most outstanding. The lushly orchestrated country ballad is one of the most gorgeous and heartbreaking in music history, featuring an absolutely stunning vocal performance from Orbison.
Listen to At Last! and “Crying” on Spotify.