Description
Details
Artist:
Aretha FranklinRecord Title:
Aretha NowYear:
2,005Number of discs:
1Record Label:
4 men with beards / 4mwb
How the hell can you go wrong with Aretha Franklin. She's produced some of the best, some of the most foot stomping, the most head shaking incredible music of all time. Music to make you think, dance and sing. Music to make you shout and music to make you cry.
And this record has such songs in spades. Kicking off with the incredible threesome of Think(an ultimatum to a lover), the brilliant 'I say a little prayer', and your lovee is like a 'see saw'. We get all the different aspects of being in a relationship just there.
And each one is a dancefloor gem.
For 'Night time is the right time' we get into real R&B territory, a steady slow beat gets your head rocking in typical blues fashion before we get romantic again in 'You send me'. And how Aretha's voice soars. And that's only side one. Those five songs alone are enough to make this record a must have. But flip it over and there's more.
Just a drumbeat and Aretha telling us straight that she don't care what they think or say, cos you're 'a sweet sweet man'. 'I take what i want' is another horn filled declaration while while 'Hello sunshine' is a more relaxed tune, reminding me of a reggae beat in its loping style.
Handclaps make an entry on 'A change' and has a more relaxed bass line to the fore.
The album finisges off with 'I can't see myself leaving you'. A lovely piano and a nice beat and as always her soaring voice. Its a slower song to end the album and it sure lets us out in style.
Its a ssaturday night album. Everything here is going to have the dance floor crowded. And yet somehow with songs like 'I say a little prayer' and 'You send me' its a sunday morning album too.
Of all the songs, only 'Think' is an original track, jointly written, but that doesn't matter because Aretha makes all these songs her own and we can't imagine them being sung by anyone else.
Its a late 60's recording and it shows in what seems a simple recording. The pressing as usual for 4mwb is perfect and extracts as much out of this recording as possible. Packaging is simple but with the original liner notes, like so many from the 60's are a pleasure to read.