Artists
Album Info
Release Date: 1999Label: Immortal
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in a powerful 1985 concert that finds the great diva in perfect voice and at a benchmark career moment. Here is the 1980's comeback - spearheaded by key collaborations with Luther Vandross - in which Aretha reinvented herself, returned to superstardom, and cemented her status as an icon of r&b and pop. The hits of the `60's, `70's, and `80's are here - `Think,' `Something He Can Feel,' `Freeway Of Love,' and of course `Respect,' among others - and Aretha gives them all fresh treatment, showing a remarkable stylistic flexibility and maturity. On numbers like `Love Is The Key' and `Ain't No Way,' the crack band and soulful backup singers give the queen some mighty call-and-response. And she returns to her gospel roots with an intense rendition of the Mahalia Jackson chestnut `Didn't It Rain.' A beautiful evening, packed with great music, from the ultimate soul showstopper and iconic American voice, Aretha Franklin.