[5] Escaping a difficult home life at age fourteen, she began living on her own, getting a small apartment near Woodward, where she stayed for five or six years.
[2] Adams toured with Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, Duke Ellington, Eddie Vinson, and Lionel Hampton, among others.
AllMusic stated that, "Chanteuse Alberta Adams, a long time fixture on the scene, closes things out with four wonderful sides using a core band that revolves around Johnnie Bassett.
A seasoned performer, Adams still has a sizable amount of honey in her voice...just solid singing by a true American music treasure.
MTV praised the backing band, saying they offered "tasteful support" and stating that "the main attraction here is the forcefully husky-voiced Adams.
Emphasizing her candid attitude and masterful timing helps overcome the occasional moments where her expressive voice has been thinned by age.
"[11] According to JP Blues, "her solo career enjoyed a resurgence starting in the 1990s with her association with manager and musician R.J. Spangler [of Eastlawn Records].
[8] AllMusic gave it a glowing review and 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating the album "finds Adams at the top of her game and seeming to enjoy herself.
"[8] The review also praised the production team, stating that Carey and Spangler "add an electric R&B aesthetic to the proceedings riding nicely between gutbucket shouters, mid-tempo swing and funky urban blues.
In 2009 she contributed vocals and composition to the album Local Boys, by the Motor City Horns, and in 2010 she was a composer and guest artist on Blowin' Away the Blues, by Planet D Nonet.
1, featuring her older tracks with Red Saunders on Chess Records, and in 2013 she was a primary artist on the compilation album Definitive Detroit Blues, released by Not Now Music.
[2] In February 2014, the singers Thornetta Davis and Tosha Owens were featured in the concert "To Alberta with Love", a tribute to Adams, who was then 96 years old.
"[11] Mostly a self-taught vocalist,[2] Adams mentioned the blues shouter Big Joe Turner and the singer-songwriters Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, and LaVern Baker as some of her earliest musical influences.