Aretha isn’t a greatest hits collection but something more interesting—a well-curated summary of her long career, make that vocation, in music.
The handsomely designed four-CD set opens with the fervent single she recorded in 1956, at age 14, in her father’s church, and continues through her reign as Queen of Soul, concluding with a performance from the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. It includes tracks from a forgotten phase of her career—early 1960s recordings whose production positioned her close to pop-jazz, yet the gospel fervor in her voice was barely toned down.
She will be remembered best for what came next—her fiery, demonstrative ‘60s soul music, turning Otis Redding’s “Respect” on its head, genderwise, and delivering a scornful “Chain of Fools” (represented on Aretha by an alternate take).
As the ‘70s began, Franklin executed superb renditions of songs originating elsewhere in the music world. The Beatles’ hymn-like “Let it Be” was a natural choice for her. So was “Son of a Preacher Man.” Dusty Springfield sang well on the Top-40 version but from Franklin, the song sounds autobiographical. Silken ‘70s soul follows, along with duets with Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles and Tom Jones, and in the ‘80s, a collaboration with Eurythmics.
Aretha is timed to coincide with the August 13 release of Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin.
