![]() Her new album marks an ambitious step for the Houston-born Knowles, who - as a solo artist (using only her first name) and as a member of the trio Destiny’s Child - has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. The climax of “Cadillac Records” - with a disheveled Etta James saved from an overdose by Leonard Chess in her empty, ghostly house - makes for an impressive contrast with the Beyoncé who strides into an interview, talking quickly and smiling broadly. There was certainly no guarantee that a woman who appeared on the cover of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue could be convincing as the heroin-addicted daughter of a prostitute, whose powerhouse sound conveyed a lifetime of heartbreak and defiance in songs like “At Last” and “Tell Mama,” incorporating a blues attitude into a wide range of pop genres. Even so, her study of the life of James and her work on the film not only resulted in new dramatic range, it also altered the direction of her new album, “I Am. The singer’s most significant previous role was in 2006’s “Dreamgirls,” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. ![]() Knowles says that when she read the script: “I said, ‘I have to do this movie,’ but I was terrified. But her mother, Tina, who vets all the scripts that are submitted to her, flagged this one as a keeper, noting that the hard-living, emotionally scarred James could be the role of a lifetime. ![]() ![]() It’s startling to see Knowles - one of the few pop stars left with a wholesome, good-girl image - swaggering and swearing through her performance. Playing the singer Etta James, Knowles is introduced to the label’s co-founder Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) in a hotel room, where she sprawls across the bed and snaps, “Don’t be looking at me like I ain’t wearing no drawers.” She then curses at everyone and everything in sight before hiding in the bathroom, where she unleashes the voice that resulted in a long string of classic R&B hits for James. In the new film “Cadillac Records,” which tells the story of the pioneering Chicago blues label Chess Records, Beyoncé Knowles makes a memorable entrance. ![]()
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