75. Aretha Franklin, "Lady Soul"

 


Even if you don't particularly care for Aretha Franklin or soul music or even just music in general, this album will still fill your heart with joy and make you happy you lived long enough to hear it.  It is an absolute classic in every sense of the word and it can even warm the heart of a sad, broken-down bastard such as myself.  The only possible downside to this album is that Eric Clapton plays guitar on one track ("Good to Me as I Am to You," probably the most straight-up blues song on the record) but even his noxious presence doesn't dampen its sweetness.

This was Ms. Franklin's twelfth album.  It was recorded, you will not be surprised to learn, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, throughout 1967 and was released on January 22, 1968.  The first song, "Chain of Fools," which you might have heard of, had already been released as a single and gone to number 2 on the Hot 100.  (Number one was "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred & His Playboy Band, one of the most egregious cases of second place being actually better since the 2016 presidential election.)  A rollicking tale of deceit and heartbreak brought magnificently to life by Aretha's soaring vocals, it also features backing vocals by the Sweet Inspirations, one of whom was Cissy Houston, Whitney's mom.  "Chain" was written by Don Covay, a musical genius in his own right, and won Aretha a Grammy, as it should have.

If this album was just "Chain of Fools" and then 30 minutes of a cat purring it would still be regarded as an all-time classic, but, believe it or not, there are other great songs too.  Speaking of Curtis Mayfield (as we did yesterday), there is a knockout cover of "People Get Ready" that Aretha absolutely kills, taking Mayfield's near-perfect original song and imbuing it with a depth of feeling and emotion that absolutely resounds - just check out her final "Lord" at the end to see what I mean.

"Niki Hoeky," the fourth song, is probably dirty but I'm not 100% sure:

I'm talking bout your boola
Talking bout that wee
I'm talking bout your boola
Talking bout that wee
Well get hip to the consultation of the boolawee

It probably is, because it was written by PJ Proby, the subject of a typically restrained Daily Mail headline: "Sixties pop star PJ Proby's entire farewell tour is cancelled after stating he advocates marriage to girls as young as twelve."  Uggghhhhhhh.

Let's get out of this ditch with "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," another song that later ended up on the Big Chill soundtrack, which is proving to be an oracle of albums that are on this list.  The song, co-written by the legendary Gerry Goffin and Carole King, became a signature for Aretha, who owned it so thoroughly that her performance of the song moved President Obama to tears at the Kennedy Center Honors.  It's the inverse of "Chain of Fools," a woman celebrating her love and passion with a good man.

Anyway, what a pleasure to listen to.  

Is this album in my personal Top 500? Oh yes.

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