What does it sound like?:

Aretha Franklin’s voice is one of the seven wonders of the musical world. It is ripe with rich hues of complex colour. Her phrasing is startlingly dynamic and articulate. Her melisma is fluid but each note is as clear as a single drop of rain. Most of all, her belting range is incredibly elastic and powerful yet she retains a strong resonance through all its frequencies. It is this that gives her the Aretha Franklin signature sound. She hovers and swoops with the grace and agility of a Falcon Soprano.

There is one thing being a fabulous singer and another being an amazing artist. Aretha brought a maturity to popular music. Her songs tackle complex, adult themes. Her performances, at her peak, are potent in provoking an emotional reaction. The ten albums she released on Atlantic between 1967 & 1972 define a genre, Soul Music. She is, literally, without peer.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have a long history of performing rock songs, such as by The Beatles, Queen, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd. This time, they have taken the original vocal tracks from fourteen of Aretha’s best known performances during her imperial period … Continue reading A Brand New Me – Aretha Franklin With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra