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If there's any chick that qualifies as having a LOUD voice and who truly deserves to be included on this website it's Aretha Franklin. She is a Bad Ass. The only problem is her catalog is so extensive...you might ask where the HELL would one start?
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Thanks for asking...I have two albums in mind that in my opinion showcase her finest moments. 'I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You' (1967) is the album that has "Respect" on it but that tune ain't shit compared to the rest of the compositions, man. These songs are some of the most incredible, INCREDIBLE soul tracks I've ever heard.
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And Miss Aretha is playing piano through out it all. Her vocals are bright and poppy on the mid-tempo "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", but by the end of the song she breaks out into a funky ass vibe. "Soul Serenade" is mellow and almost too sexy. This song though if only sporadically perfectly showcases Aretha's ability to bend and hang-on notes in true jazz fashion. On "Dr. Feelgood" and "Do Right Woman" Aretha shows us why she's the queen of soul and funk and R&B and sexy rockin' piano playin'. My favorite track is a ballad called "Baby Baby Baby". Another thing that makes this particular album so great is the background singers who don't just accent the songs as much as almost steal the show. (And I bet there's probably only, like, two of 'em when in fact they sound like a whole fucking choir!) The solid foundation of their pure and perfect soul serenading is what allows Aretha Franklin to do what she does best.
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Okay, the other album I gotta tell ya about is the haunting 'Aretha Sings The Blues'. It's a collection of songs recorded between 1960 and 1965. So, this is the stuff she did before she had all those soul mother radio hits. She's performing a bunch of standards - including Sinatra's "Only The Lonely" - and the vocal storm that is to come upon the world full-force in a few years from the time of these recordings is already raucously and beautifully evident here.
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There are three live tracks recorded at a NYC supper club, and Aretha plays piano so passionately that on "Without The One You Love" her playing sounds as sorrowful as her vocal performance. This album is such a great encompassment of Aretha Franklin's jazz-blues ability. Though on some of the tracks here her singing seems almost controlled compared to what her later recordings will capture, Aretha's strong voice and everything but subtle delivery is an amazing display of power, volume, and unique styling. You feel tremendously the heart breaking when she sings "I'm Drinking Again". You feel the pain of disillusionment when she sings "This Bitter Earth". You feel the hopelessness when she sings "Laughing On The Outside, Crying On The Inside" And, you feel the loneliness and sadness when she sings "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight".
Look man, when Aretha sings the blues you feel like a love-sick fool even if you're happily married with 2.5 kids and a microwave oven.
Both albums have been re-mastered and released on CD.
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