Despite her (and everyone’s) advancing age and recent health issues on her latest record Aretha Franklin reclaims her claim as the Queen of Soul. When she is firing on all cylinders no one can approach her. That voice coupled with her unique ability at phrasing makes Aretha Franklin one amazing package. You can’t but love this artist and the wealth of great music she has contributed to the world. On Sings the Great Diva Classics there are some hiccups and I don’t want to claim this is the perfect album. For instance, I want to erase the memory of ever hearing some dubstep inserted into the song “I Will Survive”. Aretha Franklin does not have to stoop to a desperate attempt to remain relevant. She is the one that R&B, soul and pop performers follow. Aretha is the original diva and she sets the trends. The ship is righted when she breaks into a euphoric scat on the track “Nothing Compares 2 U” (produced by Outkast’s André 3000). Surprisingly Aretha also hits it out of the park with her take on the recent Adele hit “Rolling in the Deep”. Effortless power and passion is how I can best describe what happens on it. Shows that even at her age she can jump between genres and still deliver with ease, confidence and power.
Aretha Franklin – Sings the Great Diva Classics
