Album Review: Aretha Franklin - Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul
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Artist:
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Album:Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen
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Track:Ain't But the One
*Rating* 8.5*How much does this make you wanna party with Aretha?* 9.6
There it is in bold, right above this text: Aretha Franklin - Rare and Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul. As any fan of Sister Ree would agree...I almost feel like saying anything more would be redundant. And if you do happen to be a fan, then it surely is. This is the long-overdue collection of odds and ends from a woman who defined an entire genre and is the watermark all other balls-to-the-wall vocalists are judged by.If you're into Aretha, go man! Just go.But what about the rest? What about all those to whom Aretha Franklin is just a name...a golden myth of sorts. Let's face it, unless you grew up in the 60's (and if you are using this here contraption called the internet, there's a fairly good chance of that not being the case) or were raised near the tar houses and shanties of the deep south, soul music just probably isn't a guiding force in your life. I imagine, for most of the younger audiophiles among us, soul is held in the same regard as black and white movies - "sure there are classics there, maybe even surpassing most modern works, sure i'm a fan (or so i've been taught to say lest I look like a schmuck), but would I really choose to watch one?" The question is, what does "The Queen of Soul" really mean in 2008? In this bleeping, blipping future world of Amy Winehouses and American Idols... where does Aretha fit in? At a time when soul is considered a novelty, or a parody collapsing in on itself...what can the symbol of its existence teach us?Maybe this year we'll find out - straight from the woman herself. At the spry ol' age of 66 Franklin has an album due out here in '08, "A Woman Falling Out Of Love". If Dylan can do it, if Springsteen can do it, hell...if the Eagles can do it, why not Aretha. Until then though, we have this collection of "Rare and Unreleased Recordings" - a record that makes one thing crystal clear: Unlike the aforementioned artists, Aretha isn't about the music itself..the song per se.. (even with her almost inseparable ties to gospel, blues, and, obviously, soul)... Aretha is about the _voice_. Like the musical equivalent of James Earl Jones, it doesn't matter what context Franklin is in - her voice is the star of the show. On these recordings, does the music sometimes sound dated? Sure. (although, admittedly, it _is_ dated) But even when the accompanying melodies seem to wrap Aretha in a syrupy cloud, it's her voice , bright an focused as a laser beam, that bursts through. For those that revere her already, this might seem like a redundant thing to say - but for those jaded by the obscene amount of music available at the push of a button, the true magic is that, indeed, Aretha is still relevant, her voice is still passion personified (or is it audiolized?).Now, this collection isn't without its weak spots. Franklin has such mastery of her voice, one often looks for those moments, where the little hairs in your ear tingle with excitement, on every track. Now, that wouldn't be a fair mark against this album (no one can be revelatory all the time), if it didn't feel at times, maybe a little to often, that Aretha is just phoning it in. Here's a woman with a voice so powerful that she can almost put it on autopilot and belt out a classic. Not that I blame her, this is an outtake album after all.On the flip side of that, though, is where this album reveals its true beauty. On this record, we hear moments and catch glimpses of Aretha making mistakes, experimenting, and being, well, human. It is this rawness, when the voice strains but the passion burns even brighter, that Aretha transcends time. She need not worry about staying relevant...for he voice usurps relevancy. She is timeless, her music truly golden, and her voice.... that voice.... perfect.*Single - Aretha and Ray Charles Blowing Minds with Ain't But the One*
There it is in bold, right above this text: Aretha Franklin - Rare and Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul. As any fan of Sister Ree would agree...I almost feel like saying anything more would be redundant. And if you do happen to be a fan, then it surely is. This is the long-overdue collection of odds and ends from a woman who defined an entire genre and is the watermark all other balls-to-the-wall vocalists are judged by.If you're into Aretha, go man! Just go.But what about the rest? What about all those to whom Aretha Franklin is just a name...a golden myth of sorts. Let's face it, unless you grew up in the 60's (and if you are using this here contraption called the internet, there's a fairly good chance of that not being the case) or were raised near the tar houses and shanties of the deep south, soul music just probably isn't a guiding force in your life. I imagine, for most of the younger audiophiles among us, soul is held in the same regard as black and white movies - "sure there are classics there, maybe even surpassing most modern works, sure i'm a fan (or so i've been taught to say lest I look like a schmuck), but would I really choose to watch one?" The question is, what does "The Queen of Soul" really mean in 2008? In this bleeping, blipping future world of Amy Winehouses and American Idols... where does Aretha fit in? At a time when soul is considered a novelty, or a parody collapsing in on itself...what can the symbol of its existence teach us?Maybe this year we'll find out - straight from the woman herself. At the spry ol' age of 66 Franklin has an album due out here in '08, "A Woman Falling Out Of Love". If Dylan can do it, if Springsteen can do it, hell...if the Eagles can do it, why not Aretha. Until then though, we have this collection of "Rare and Unreleased Recordings" - a record that makes one thing crystal clear: Unlike the aforementioned artists, Aretha isn't about the music itself..the song per se.. (even with her almost inseparable ties to gospel, blues, and, obviously, soul)... Aretha is about the _voice_. Like the musical equivalent of James Earl Jones, it doesn't matter what context Franklin is in - her voice is the star of the show. On these recordings, does the music sometimes sound dated? Sure. (although, admittedly, it _is_ dated) But even when the accompanying melodies seem to wrap Aretha in a syrupy cloud, it's her voice , bright an focused as a laser beam, that bursts through. For those that revere her already, this might seem like a redundant thing to say - but for those jaded by the obscene amount of music available at the push of a button, the true magic is that, indeed, Aretha is still relevant, her voice is still passion personified (or is it audiolized?).Now, this collection isn't without its weak spots. Franklin has such mastery of her voice, one often looks for those moments, where the little hairs in your ear tingle with excitement, on every track. Now, that wouldn't be a fair mark against this album (no one can be revelatory all the time), if it didn't feel at times, maybe a little to often, that Aretha is just phoning it in. Here's a woman with a voice so powerful that she can almost put it on autopilot and belt out a classic. Not that I blame her, this is an outtake album after all.On the flip side of that, though, is where this album reveals its true beauty. On this record, we hear moments and catch glimpses of Aretha making mistakes, experimenting, and being, well, human. It is this rawness, when the voice strains but the passion burns even brighter, that Aretha transcends time. She need not worry about staying relevant...for he voice usurps relevancy. She is timeless, her music truly golden, and her voice.... that voice.... perfect.*Single - Aretha and Ray Charles Blowing Minds with Ain't But the One*
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