Franklin's deep-soul reinvention of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Say a Little Prayer" was a top 10 Pop smash in 1968 Aretha premieres her Solid Gold duet with the song's originator, Dionne Warwick. Working under the aegis of Clive Davis, Aretha returned to rule the charts anew with such era-defining hits as "Freeway of Love," "Jump to It," and duets with George Michael ("I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" and Eurythmics ("Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"). While she performed it on television and in concert, this marks the first appearance of her studio rendition.Īretha continues with a taste of her Arista years (1980-2007) which reinvented her sound for a new generation.
Franklin reinvents the ballad from the ground up, transforming it into a tour de force of deeply felt orchestral soul. Debby Boone's heartfelt recording became the U.S.' biggest-selling single of the 1970s and set a record for the most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Today, the Queen of Soul's previously unreleased 1978 cover of "You Light Up My Life" hit streaming services including YouTube and Spotify.
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Perhaps Rhino will address these albums in full in the future. The set premieres alternates of "Call Me," "Young, Gifted, and Black," and the West Side Story anthem "Somewhere" as well as work tapes of "You're All I Need to Get By," "Brand New Me," and "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)," and an unheard mix of "Spanish Harlem." The recording of "Somewhere" was produced by Quincy Jones, and two previously unreleased outtakes also premiere from their collaboration including the Franklin composition "The Boy from Bombay." Note that this set also has numerous tracks from or related to Aretha's final five Atlantic studio LPs, none of which have been officially released on CD to date. The swinging demo (on which she's supported by piano, bass, and drums) from the young artist on the cusp of superstardom is available today on all streaming/digital services.įranklin had an unprecedented string of hit records on Atlantic, many of which are here in their famous original studio versions including "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "The House That Jack Built," and "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone." But other classics are represented via unexpected and new-to-CD versions. The Atlantic years (1967-1979) dominate the set, beginning with two previously unreleased demos which were furnished to producer Jerry Wexler: the classic "Try a Little Tenderness" (which she had previously recorded at Columbia with producer Robert Mersey) and an Aretha-ized spin on Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen's Sinatra staple, "My Kind of Town," refashioned to Detroit rather than Chicago. At Columbia, Franklin showed her mastery of jazz-inflected adult pop and also took her first steps as a pure R&B artist - a genre in which she would find full flower once she signed with Atlantic Records. The box covers Franklin's Columbia years via 10 tracks including her first chart single ("Won't Be Long"), early R&B hits ("Runnin' Out of Fools," "One Step Ahead," and "Cry Like a Baby"), and standards ("Skylark"). Aretha adds up to an alternative history of Franklin's extraordinary career.įollowing that first single from the teenaged gospel singer, Aretha proceeds in mostly chronological fashion. Its 81 tracks span her entire career - from her first single on JBV Records through her years on Columbia, Atlantic, and Arista - via hits, rarities, live tracks, and many previously unreleased cuts. While the late icon has been anthologized numerous times in the past, this set takes a different approach.
That triumphant performance, in its audio debut, closes out the new 4-CD box set called Aretha which - after a delay from last year - is now scheduled for release on July 30 from Rhino. Nearing the song's finale, she simply but defiantly dropped her fur coat to the floor, creating an instant viral moment that elicited tears and cheers in equal measure. She had not just sung these lyrics but lived them. The undisputed Queen of Soul tore into King, Gerry Goffin, and Jerry Wexler's "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" with blazing intensity and thrilling authenticity. It was late in 2015 when audiences across the country watched Aretha Franklin take the stage at The Kennedy Center Honors to salute honoree Carole King.
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