ETTA JAMES

“Seven Year Itch.” Island. ** 1/2

LOWELL FULSON

“It’s a Good Day.” Rounder. ** 1/2

BOBBY KING AND TERRY EVANS

“Live and Let Live!” Rounder. ** 1/2

Los Angeles isn’t widely celebrated for its rich blues/R&B; heritage but these artists with long local pedigrees have returned with satisfying if unspectacular records.

Veteran soul queen Etta James is still dishing out hard-rocking, horn-flavored R&B; on “Seven Year Itch,” her first album in nearly a decade. James’ voice remains a powerfully expressive instrument but there are production problems with the relentlessly “hot” arrangements that never really allow James to dip into her bag of vocal tricks for the subtle nuances and shifts in dynamics that can make a song come alive. “Shakey Ground,” “How Strong Is A Woman,” and “It Ain’t Always What You Do (It’s Who You Let See You Do It)” are the stand-out tracks on a record where the parts are ultimately a bit greater than the whole.

Talk about instant impact--Lowell Fulson takes all of five seconds to create a characteristically sublime, finger-snapping slow groove on “Thanks A Lot,” the opening cut from the guitarist/vocalist’s first album in two decades, “It’s A Good Day.” Flash is not Fulson’s style--his guitar leads are economically spiky and his singing seductively smooth, even on comparatively raucous, uptempo selections like “I’m Tough” and “Push On.” Too bad there isn’t a full horn section to ease in behind Fulson but “It’s A Good Day” is a strong return for the seasoned veteran.

Bobby King and Terry Evans have for years been a popular studio team for roots rockers such as John Fogerty, Phil Alvin and Ry Cooder in the market for gospel-flavored backing vocals. Cooder produced “Live And Let Live!,” the debut album by King and Evans, and he generates an attractively loose, jamming feel and, on “Just A Little Bit,” “Bald Head,” and the title track, slips into funky boogie grooves recalling early Little Feat. The biggest shortcoming of this enjoyable album is that, despite their compelling harmony blends, neither King nor Evans steps forward individually to put an identifying vocal stamp on the material.