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Unforgettable

There was no way I could have missed Aretha Frankin growing up. Not only were her classic songs still often on the radio, there were also (from a lower drawer, perhaps) her '80s tracks & the very popular collaborations with Annie Lennox and George Michael. Not to mention the references & tributes to her work from soul enthusiasts of all stripes, from Scritti Politti to The Blues Brothers. Even so, it wasn't until after her death that it very belatedly dawned on me exactly what a powerhouse & a glorious talent she'd been.

Meanwhile I'd formed an appreciation for an older generation of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington: so when I learned, not much more than a year ago, that Aretha had recorded a tribute to Dinah, I was keen to hear it, and ordered a used CD copy of Unforgettable from an ebay seller. It's a wonderful record. First released in '64, a few years before her move to Atlantic records allowed her to fully hit her stride, one senses that all the ingredients for success were already very nearly in place.

She confidently handles smooth ballads (such as 'What A Diff'rence A Day Made' & the title track) and rawer, bluesier numbers alike (with 'Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning' a stand-out example of the latter). The accompanying band (including jazz stalwart George Duvivier on bass) are great, and Robert Mersey's string arrangements serve the mellower songs well. The suitably soulful 'Soulville' points a way forward for Franklin: a thrilling foretaste of what was to come.

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