I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Amazing voice, and some good tunes

Pretty good. I think I've heard all these songs before, but never listened to the album from start to finish. I approve. Not really my favorite and probably won't listen again anytime soon, but I appreciate hearing it.

soul goat. RIP

This and Lady Soul are probably the top contenders if you had to pick a must-own studio release from the Queen of Soul. For me, the slow, sultry, bluesy songs here are really what makes it the one to have. Honestly, I think a lot of R+B and Soul music from this era was much more focused on singles than full albums, and I'm sure you could argue there's better versions of some of these songs to be found, but I'd still say this is a solid album all the way through.

I'd only heard a few of the classics but never this album in its entirety. Absolutely fantastic and even hearing a song you feel like you've heard 1000 times ("Respect") and paying it closer attention (maybe just not hearing it in a commercial, sporting event, etc) shows how perfect a song it really is. Made in 1967 and I love the mix and clarity. I often marvel at how good some old records sound - so many times better than mixes 40-50 years later - and so much is due to careful arrangement and pre-production; knowing what *not* to put in just as much as knowing what to put in. Similarly, this is obviously a vocal artist so Aretha is the feature but on a personal mixing note I *so vastly prefer* what is apparently an older style of mixing the vocals much lower than what has become standard over the last few decades. The vocals mesh with the music far better in mixes like these as opposed to the modern-ish method of sitting way up front and "over" the music.

Great soul album.

So clear a purposeful! Such a beautiful lady. More!

1. good stuff 7/10 2. good 6/10 3. nice 7.5/10 4. great 8/10 5. okay 5.5/10 6. really good 8.5/10 7. decent 6/10 8. cool 6.5/10 9. wow 9/10 10. so so 6.5/10 11. decent 7/10

- best song: Do Right Woman, Do Right Man - saved - really good, very "exciting" for an album of its time for me

what's not to love about aretha?

A beautiful soul album with the unforgettable voice of one of the best, Aretha.

Holding some of the most powerful and iconic soul tracks of all time its no wonder that this album has massive staying power. Both sonically and socially relevant as the day it produced this album has a though line of soul that you can't help but shout a few bars our yourself.

Incredible. Timeless. One of the best displays of soul onto wax I've ever heard. The B side is a little weaker than the A side, but still very very nice.

Ein Album für Einsame, Hausfrauen, sexuell Frustrierte, Feministinnen, Leute mit Liebeskummer, Fernweh und Hummeln im Hintern. Eins davon war jeder schon Mal.

Nooit gedacht dat ik dit leuk zou vinden.

Gouden stem, goed album, maar zou het niet zelf zomaar eens opleggen

YES ARETHA! I'd only ever heard Respect before but this whole album is jamming. Good stuff, definitely will come back

A great Sunday Morning album, but I keep wanting the Sam Cooke versions of Good Times and A Change Is Gonna Come... Do Right Woman... is a total tyuuune though.

Not something I'd listen to all the time - but an enjoyable album. Good to listen to a full Aretha album instead of just the few famous songs I've previously heard.

can't give any less than 4 but lot of slower tunes

Incredible voice!

Pretty good, knew a couple of the songs.

fire

Wie Malo schon schrieb: diese Frau könnte ein schwarzes Loch zu einem saftigen Steak zersingen. Und sie kann es mit der Backröhre genauso wie mit dem Dampfgarer und dem Niedrigtemperaturberfahren. Und wie sie es kann! Bin gar kein so riesiger Fan von Soul Music, aber das hier: immer gern und immer mehr.

Aretha's powerful vocals give buoyancy to the entire band, including the backup singers! Tracks like "Respect", "Drown in My Own Tears", and "A Change is Gonna Come" truly showcase the soul of Aretha Franklin and her ability to sing freely around beat while still landing in time with the band, which allows her to put further inflection on top of her already emotional delivery. It should also be noted that her band that accompanies her on this album does a great job and bring life to the song arrangements, however they are overshadowed by the power that is Aretha's voice. The only thing holding this album back from being 5 stars is a lack of variety in the track listing, but the individual tracks that I previously named are all worthy of 5 stars by themselves.

I cry.

Album good, voice better. Aretha is a legend. Too tired to write more!

Very solid, they don't call her the queen of soul for nothing.

It's a beautiful, soulful album, literally. I could really use some more repeated listens.

It was great, such a beautiful voice. Certainly not something I'd listen to every day though

Since I saw the album as a teenager, I have wished this was a lesbian power album. Even if the lyrics are about the singer loving an abusive guy, this album slaps.

classic, deserves all the praise she gets

Fun fact, Aretha got pregnant for the first time at the age of 12.

Fave Track: "Good Times" (Written by Sam Cooke) Fun Fact: "Respect" was originally written/performed by Otis Redding Preferred the upbeat tracks. Mostly bluesy-soul numbers. Her TENTH album already by 1967, gives you pause to think how much music she's made over the years.

Respect.

Righteousness.

Always love a little bit of Aretha Franklin

solid, classic album

Gets me pumped.

Classic, never listened in full, but this seems like the epitome of soul from that time

Nog een keer luisteren

I only knew Respect on the album but you always gotta show respect to the queen of soul

Gotta show some RESPECT to this album

Love Aretha. Love the Sam Cooke tributes on here. "Good Times" was a great choice and her version of "A Change is Gonna Come" is fantastic, soulful, and spiritual. Favorite tracks: "Respect", "A Change is Gonna Come", "Drown in My Own Tears"

Aretha is a classic but not my tempo

It was decent, didn’t blow me away

О! Арета!

Obviously lots of classic material here by the Queen of soul. Her voice accompanied by smooth and groovy soul music makes for an easy listen.

I feel dead. so skip the proper review for this cause i need to revive. 3/5

The great singers of old - Sinatra, Franklin, etc. - are a bit shortshifted in terms of assessment in these types of lists because they are much more song centric than they are albums, which are never that strong as a collection or as a whole experience.

Solid if unspectacular.

Don't let me lose this dream stands out. Overall not for me, but not bad

This album does not generate as much excitement in me as I would like, or as much as I would have suspected based on the killer opening track. Beyond Respect there are a lot of pleasant soul sounds from a vocal powerhouse but they are not as iconic or memorable as I would expect given Aretha Franklin’s level of fame and adoration. She’s cool though and I could see this album as being a bit of a leveller - it would be hard to imagine someone who would object to this being put on at the beginning of a party, or when it's winding down.

Surprisingly only a high 3 for Aretha for me, two or three great tracks and a fair bit that doesn’t do a lot for me

Respect - what a way to start an album! I’m realising I’ve heard so many recent covers of this song, all serviceable, but Aretha’s vocals are something else. Although I enjoy listening to this album, the music is not diverse enough to hold my interest. I become somewhat bored around the sixth track.

Credit where it's due, Aretha has an AMAZING voice. This is back when you couldn't do a digital touch-up, her range is impressive, but the voice on her has a beautiful tone outside of technical skill. So, of course I wanted to love this album,especially starting off with that classic single. I find the album mostly forgettable though, and maybe it's the date seeping through, but I can't find myself getting excited over poossibly owning this record. 3.1/5

Ну средне, средне

Nothing wrong with some Aretha Franklin. I'm much more of a rock and roll guy, but daaamn she had a voice.

Some real classic bangers in here but not enough to bring me back to the album as a whole body of work.

eh

Near the start of my 1000 journey I got my first Aretha Franklin album (Lady Soul,) now I've got my second from her around 430 albums deep. I wonder if she has any more... well Aretha has a very powerful voice, you can hear the defiance, the anguish, the sincerity all clear as day. The instrumentation is very obviously soulful and is very luscious and just very well done. Like her first album of hers I got, it's a bit difficult, even though I've gotten pushed out my comfort zone massively. Maybe I'm shocked by the strong presence by Aretha. Who knows, but I really like the instrumentation and I kinda like the vocals, and most importantly the albums are very brief. So, I'm willing to give the albums a couple more listens each, as I really do see why it's included on the 1001 generator. I do see myself returning. Highlight Song/s: "Don't let Me lose This Dream" and "Baby, Baby, Baby"

She's certainly a great singer, but she doesn't quite reach me.

Den ersten Song finde ich nur noch nervig, zu oft gehört. Danach wird es erträglicher. Gut, mal gehört zu haben, läuft aber sicher nicht allzu bald wieder.

Respect is huge. The rest is average

another classic album that starts out at 11 and then ... turns into a series of tame love ballads. it has Respect on it, but it's still a 3

It's okay, not my style nothing is really catching my attention. has a few classics on it

Ich fand’s schon okay, es sind einige catchy tunes dabei. Ich verstehe auch die Relevanz und dafür schätze ich das Album, aber insgesamt it fell flat. Vielleicht auch, weil es kein wirkliches overarching theme gibt (imo) und es eher in the short side ist.

this one's ok. i think i preferred lady soul a bit due to the heavier lean into an r&b sound. oddly though, i feel like i'm missing the gospel element too? which isn't really something i'd thought i was into. maybe it was the secret sauce all along..... "respect" is the hardest hitter for sure, and i like "baby, baby, baby" and "a change is gonna come" a lot too. franklin's singing is great as always but the rest of the tracks, idk.... i'm just not feeling it so much this time? i guess "save me" stood out a bit too, but in that case it's mostly riding on a great drum beat. it also probably doesn't help that, as before, the writers hadn't figured out how to end a song other than fading out yet. i guess what im saying is i don't really know why i didn't enjoy this one as much as lady soul. hmm....

Just what you’d expect from an Aretha album.

Thought the other album was better

Decent album. Has a few big hits that are great. Everything else is just ok.

3.46 / 5 stars for Aretha. I geniunely enjoyed this album, albeit a little out of my wheelhouse. Gospel, Blues, Soul, all of it was sung beautifully by Aretha, just these are not songs that I'd throw on my Road Trip Mix you know. "Respect", sure, but the rest of it, maybe not so much. Good album though.

Respect is a great cover, and Franklin has a great voice, but I can't figure out why the album is lauded so much. The other songs are fine but seem overshadowed by Respect. I can't find much info on why this album as a whole has skyrocketed to such fame.

Respect has to be up there as one of the greatest earworms of all time, going to be singing that all day long now, thanks. Overall solid album, but rating to my taste just a three as it's not something I will put in regular rotation.

jazz honestly, is not my thing, but aretha sounds beautiful as she looks in the cover. a great album, i liked it.

Un album entretenido, bonita produccion, buenas letras, me gusto pero creo no es lo que escucharia

This had some amazing parts but the rest kind of blended together.

Strong

Its fine just not my type of music.

its alright but like yeah

She's not as good as Nina Simone

The thing I find most interesting about this album is that a ton of the songs are covers. I could have gone my entire life thinking "Respect" was an Aretha Franklin original, but nope. It's actually an Otis Redding song from less than 2 years prior. This one is hard to rate for me. Albums that are objectively a 5 always make me feel terrible for not personally loving. Aretha Franklin is one of the most well known, beloved musicians of all time. Her voice is absolutely iconic. She has been given every positive accolade under the sun. Her version of “Respect” is also perfect. I was surprised to see it wasn’t her most listened to song on Spotify. If you put a gun to my head, I’d have told you it was number 1. Instead, number 1 went to a song from a different album entirely, that song being “I Say a Little Prayer”. By name alone, I don’t even recognize that song. In fact, even on this album, I only know “Respect”, and it’s my favorite song on the album by far. Why is this a 3 if I’ve acknowledged and understand how great she is then?? What fault could I possibly find in this album?? Well, none honestly. I can’t fault this album, I just don’t personally enjoy this type of music very much. That’s just not the way I rank these albums. I thought this was slow, not terribly interesting, and only has 1 memorable song. But that’s just from my perspective, personally. Again, I reiterate, this is a fantastic album. It’s just not really for me. This is the first of 2 Aretha Franklin albums I have rolled for this project. One of the best to ever do it, but for the modern ears, she just sounds alright to me, and I would not personally return to this. I can’t even really say that “Respect” got stuck in my head like I thought it would. It’s such a short song, and ends way too early. I wish it was even just 30 seconds longer so I could enjoy it more. Still though, now I want to wait to hear her number 1 song to see if I recognize it or not. I wonder if it really is catchier and better than “Respect”, but somehow I just doubt that it would be. We’ll see when I roll it at some point. Quick update after the review. Upon further inspection, the album with her top song isn’t even on here. I guess I’ll just play it regardless to see how good it is.

Good but not my type

Aretha Franklin is a vaguely familiar name to me, though I don't think I've listened to a single song of hers. I'm really split down the middle on what this album could be. It's too late to be a vocal jazz album and a little too early to be a soul album. The title doesn't strike me as blues, either. I suppose this album is closer to soul's time in the limelight than vocal jazz, so I'll hedge my bets on a soul album. Here goes. Yup, it's a soul album. I've been on a bit of a hot streak with my genre predictions lately. That being said, I'm beginning to tire of the soul albums, so this isn't catching me at a good time. Still, it was fine. Aretha Franklin is a competent singer. She harmonises nicely and has a clear, pleasing voice. Admittedly, her style of singing isn't to my liking largely because of how noisy and varied it is, though her performances are solid nonetheless. There's less to remark about the instrumentals. They're your standard, impersonal backing band affair, though the delicate pianos and bluesy guitars are among the highlights of its instrumental offerings. What I really salute about this album is its runtime - I'm always down for a shortie. Overall, I was content to let this one run through, though I doubt I'll ever return to it. Book time. "...the queen of soul". I'd venture to guess that's how I know of her. Franklin's previous record deal with Columbia stifled her creative potential, with this release from Atlantic being the one to bring her out of her shell. Aretha wrote four of the tracks on this album and played the piano. That's about it, however. Wikipedia says this album was Franklin's breakthrough release and had two successful singles. Contemporary reviews were mixed, though it's since been reappraised as one of the all-time greatest albums. Franklin's cover of "Respect" is considered her signature song. The album peaked at No. 2 on the US charts and No. 36 in the UK, but charted nowhere else. Yeah. I'm favourable to this album and I'll likely be favourable to her next album if she truly is the queen of soul. I cosign this inclusion.

Top songs: do right woman do right man, respect, good times, a change is gonna come

Álbum 5/10, Respect es un gran tema aspen. Con un día nublado este disco dan ganas de dormir, pero está bueno jaja

chill copado

No better voice in all of soul

it was obviously good vocally but it was kind of slow a lil boring and obv aretha franklin is a blueprint so it doesn’t sound like anything i’ve never heard before

Ziemlich mittelmäßig

It's Aretha Franklin so of course it's going to be high-quality. This kind of felt like an answer to the call of B.B. King. Her compositions are arguably a cut above, with a bit more creativity and extra detail details like background vocals, but the style and the sentiment is very similar. Again, I can't help but think men and women acknowledged their mutual need for each other more than they do now. I don't know if this is a criticism or a feature, but many of the songs just presented one idea and ran with it the whole song into a fade out ending, which kind of feels unfinished and a bit unsatisfying, but it also serves to make more room for her vocal performance. "Don't let me lose this dream" stood out to me in that sense because it actually progresses and changes. I'm finding that the vocal cadence is very much like talking, like she says "I'm gonna do this this and this," and of course the melodic delivery has a lot of artistry, but I kind of prefer more poetic lyrics sung in a more rhythmic cadence, I don't know. I think that is just a characteristic of blues that I don't love. Like they're kind of just talking quite literally about their love affairs and it gets kind of tiring. I would prefer a little bit more stimulus to my imagination.

Creo que uno de los poderes más grandes de Aretha Franklin es su capacidad de transmitir emoción y creo que transmite bastante fuerza

schöne stimme, ganz nett anzuhören

3 DEFF thats not bad but not good kinda boring i love her vocals just soooo fine

Not really my vibe but ig it was okay

You know, Aretha Franklin has undeniably an amazing voice. Respect is a classic. These songs are mostly fine. I think as an album, this is nothing special. Not a ton of variety, nothing terribly remarkable.

A deeply soulful album by one of the greatest to ever do it. Beautiful jazz production accompanied by one of the best vocals in soul.

3 for respect alone

Respect is such a classic song!

Undeniably strong voice and an amazingly talented singer. And I love the soulful style and sound. But overall the album doesn’t continuously hold my attention.

Decent, but not my jam

I can respect music like this, but I don't think it's entirely for me. Still, songs like 'Don't let me lose this dream' are pretty timeless. Very influential album by a very influential artist.

Love Respect and a few of the other songs. You need to be in the right mood for this album. Would listen again

I never loved this kind of thing

Not my cup of tea but still good

Aretha the woman that you are...!! 3.75 rounded down to 3.

Not my normal kind of music, but this was nice. A good one for dinner

God she can sing. There are 2 absolute lifetime bangers on here, (Respect + the title track) but the album collectively didnt speak to my soul past a 3.5/5 so have rounded down to 3

Respect

Mooi. En wat een stem. Tegelijk weet ik niet of dit album vaak ga beluisteren. Het is ook wel heftig allemaal. Ik denk wel eens: nu is het tijd voor een ballad of iets. Maar bijna alles is intens. Vol overgave. Misschien iets voor wanneer je met iets bezig bent in huis.

A really good 60s soul album

Big voice, average choons.

Fun 60s album, doesnt really fit into any of my playlists but the singer is very talented!

Beautiful voice, iconic songs. It didn't do much for me in terms of connecting with the songs, but I liked it enough and was glad to listen to one of her albums all the way through.

really good album. i love these kind of old music. her voice is really amazing. couldnt find a specific song i would listen over and over again. 6,5/10 i would definitely give it another try someday.

Pretty good

No conocía a esta artista. No reconozco bien el género. Me gusta de fondo. Pero nada wow. 6/10

This gets 5 stars for Aretha’s voice and it being her breakthrough record. As far as albums go as a whole however, not all the songs feel inspired and the production lacks polis. Because of that, this isn’t an album that pulls me back in. But there is no denying that Aretha is one of the best singers of all time and she came strong on this record with her performances.

Good

not my style, men det er lækkert at lytte til lægger ekstremt godt ud, og derefter bliver jeg lidt tabt. 3.5

Respect is an all timer but not really by type of music.

3/5

When it starts with RESPECT you know you're in for a good time ! Overall jazzy and smooth mood, great vocals. I have to admit I had higher expectations, it's hard to tell songs apart after the first one... I read in a review about how in this era songs were often sung by many artists, I felt that heavily as this seems more like a showcase of an amazing voice rather than particularly great songs or lyrics. Cover : Pretty, I like the cool font

I don't know, I feel I have to love it and respect(!) it more than I actually do. It's nice as a sort of proto pop record, but there's not a lot of bite or pizzazz, and there isn't any riveting musicality apart from Franklin's singing (which I find to be good-sometimes-great and a bit overrated as controversial as it sounds). I'm also not too keen on a record full of covers. That might be a strength though - I don't expect anyone being very much upset with listening to this record. I'll also say the mix could've been done differently and perhaps better. I hate using decimal points in reviews but just to contextualize this is like a 2.51/5 album for me, so I'm only just marginally leaning more towards a higher than a lower grade, hence the 3.

If I say what I think, I'll be suspended for six months. Everyone loves respect, both the song on this album as well as the concept. That's the one song I knew before going into this record. And of course I love it, who doesn't? It's a beautiful song. This record is full of beautiful songs, favorites of mine being Respect, the titular track, as well as Dr. Feelgood. That song made me laugh out loud, when she starts talking about how she doesn't have as much time for socializing, she's got to get back to her...appointment. Other than that, unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on this record. Some people said it's too slow, and that's an assessment I generally agree with. But more than that, I found it predictable. I was hoping that this record took more chances, either vocally or instrumentally. Maybe I've been spoiled by some of the other soul I've listened to, like that 12-minute epic Walk On By from Isaac Hayes. But I found myself hoping that more songs here surprised. It's pleasant, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't find it exciting like I wanted. Maybe it's because I listened on the drive to work, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I was hoping something would jolt me awake.

She has an incredible voice and Respect is clearly a classic but I felt this was a bit disappointing. There were too many instances where there was so much embellishment to the melody that it ceased to be the melody that was actually written. This meant the songs lacked a repetitive base to build on. This trend for over-singing has continued with various other vocal powerhouses who would benefit from reining it in a bit.

596/1001 2026.04.20

me gusto pero le tenia mucha fe pq me sonaba la artista y creo que es importante en la musica, y no me gusto tanto tanto 7/10

Very powerful voice.

not what i usually listen but it was suprisingly good. great lyrics and loved the instruments.

It's fine. Not my style of music.

1. Respect - интересная инфа с инета: стала не только хитом №1 в США, но и гимном феминизма и борьбы за гражданские права. Хотя автором композиции является Отис Реддинг, именно версия Франклин приобрела культовый статус. ваау, круто реально. и смысл классный. 2. Drown in My Own Tears - неплохая, про одиночество , слезы и просьбу вернуться домой. 3. I Never Loved a Man - про больную привязанность. Альбом прикольный , песни в основном про то, что уважение важнее страсти. в целом альбом про самоуважение, за что респект.

3/5

I think this would have been nice if I hadn't listened to so much gospel before. I prolly need to lock in with the lyrics in front of me at some point. The IB econ IA lockin is real. Needa finish these by tmr!!! Dadidou trippin.

Bastante mid no lo termine

i guess classic for a reason

Probably a classic but not my type

Fav- respect 3/5

3.5/5

Lekker wel! Geweldige stem natuurlijk, en zaten wat hidden gems tussen. Niet helemaal mijn ding, maar kan ook aan mijn stemming liggen. Is denk ik meer een avond voor 's avonds ipv overdag. Beste: Baby, baby, baby. Do right woman, Do right man.

it was fine.. not really my type but vocals were great.

Det var väldigt Aretha Franklin. Lyssnade iofsg inte så djupt, men det mesta jag hörde kändes som kärlekssånger. Hon är jävligt duktig men jag älskar ju inte generic kärlekslåtar och det var så det kändes. Inte min typ av musik

como vas a arrancar tu album con RESPECT. iconic shit.

Odd how it sounds so modern even in 2026.

3 out of 5 Great Motown jams. The queen of Detroit.

This is clearly a powerful and influential record, and Aretha Franklin’s voice is undeniably impressive. However, no matter how many times I try, R&B just doesn’t seem to resonate with me, and I find it difficult to fully connect with the album

classic but not my kinda music

catchy but boring

When I see Aretha Franklin, a song is not the first thing I think of, I think of her running the soul food cafe in the Blues Brothers, and when she looks at Matt Guitar Murphy and says, "The Bluuues Brothers?!?, They still owe you money, fool!" Then of course, the song. But I digress. This is pretty damn good. 3.5 Do I round up?

fine not as good as the other Aretha Franklin album I listened to "Lady Soul"

Good album. Aretha is queen for a reason

Quando vi o nome de Aretha Franklin, e a canção Respect abrindo o disco, já imaginei que a nota 5 estava garantida. Para mim, sua voz é uma das mais lindas já gravadas, seu alcance vocal é impressionante, e seu outro álbum da lista, Lady Soul, foi um 5 estralante, com energia e beleza incontestáveis. Mas fui pego de surpresa por arranjos um tanto quanto entediantes. Claro, a voz de Franklin é linda como sempre foi, e há alguns momentos maravilhosos nesse álbum, mas no total, achei ele um pouco decepcionante. Com exceção de Respect, que eu já conhecia, nenhuma faixa se sobressaiu tanto. Minha teoria é que de fato, seu exímio vocal brilha melhor ao vivo, por isso o Lady Soul (que era um disco ao vivo) me agradou mais. Obviamente, este não é um álbum ruim, longe disso! Mas é inevitável esperar mais de um nome como Aretha Franklin. 3/5

vocals are too much however beats are really good esp for a sample. also really repetitive but still can vibe to the songs as its not bad.

Soul with AF's famous vocals. Some latin influence on Dont Let Me Lose This Dream. Lyrically veers from empowerment (Respect) to hopeless devotion to a toxic relationship (I Never Loved a Man) Respect is very energetic, but from there on it's a series of ballads, a format I'm not a fan of. Best track - Dont Let Me Lose This Dream, Save Me 3 stars

not really for me, but i can see the appeal

3.5

Aretha is awesome

Arrancamos la semana con un disco de la grosa de Aretha Franklin, otra de tantas grandes artistas de las que sólo he escuchado canciones sueltas. Álbum chill y poderoso gracias al vozarrón de esta mujer, lo siento ideal para una velada íntima, romántica. Gracias y hasta mañana

voz linda demais

It makes sense for a Aretha Franklin to be on this list given her vocal ability and influence. Respect is a banger. 'Religious' women are horny as fuck. Aretha's vocals are ridiculous(ly good). 90% of the songs are beneath her - dull, barely given life by her talents.

First time listen. Great voice and didn’t skip once just not my speed.

An album that is hard to criticise. It's Arethra Franklin... It goes without saying she has a great voice and knows how to belt out a tune. I guess I'm just not the target audience though, because I listen and think "Yeah that's good" but I'd never feel drawn to listening again by choice. Good music but no place for it in my life's soundtrack.

Too much passion for a pos man. Loved the vocals and the flow but not something I would casually listen to. Still very enjoyable

respect is an INSANE opener to a first album. I'm so glad she left that man jesus. sadly there were only 2 standouts for me in the whole album but I didn't dislike any song. overall v enjoyable listening experience despite the horrors (having to hear a woman defend her shitty husband)

Aretha’s undeniably powerful vocals absolutely carry this album. The rest is pretty standard soul stuff.

Amazing voice, every song it is so powerful and easy to listen to.

3.5

Solid record! Had a lot of fun with this.

I’m having trouble coming up with much to say about this record. It’s good? Yeah I can confidently say it’s at least good. I have a world of respect for records like this and the historical significance they embody. Franklin has a voice that is the very essence of soul itself. The songs are quick and saunter through a basic structure before abruptly ending. I really can’t nitpick much here though. It’s good, but Aretha Franklin doesn’t appeal to my personal taste.

3.5

Fantastic voice, of course, but the songs are not so exciting...

Aretha Franklin had an amazing voice. “Respect”, “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You”, and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman) are all beautiful songs. It’s just too bad that the rest of the songs were not that great.

It’s nice, but pretty forgettable. Stand-outs - I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) - A Change Is Gonna Come

I wish I could give this a 4, but beyond the obvious hit, it's a bit repetitive and really only has Aretha's voice holding it up.

60 luku vibat

Great voice. Ever.

I guess it's just the characteristic of working with real instuments, but to my autistic self, all the songs from this album sound mostly the same

Ballads are great, respect is a classic. However, tracks like don't let me lose this dream, good times and save me are just too bland.

I liked this. It started with a bang and didn't really get back up to that high, but it was pretty decent.

Classic

love herrrr shes so right

Classic soul. Not surprising that her songs are still classics.

This album felt like the worst post-nut clarity one can experience. The drop off from 'respect' was something else. I have to give this album a 3 as I still think it is good, just nothing comes close to an opening track that iconic.

I can appreciate it but personally not my fave

Respect was so good they included it twice on spotify

Solid R&B album with some absolute classics.

This is a great one. One of Aretha's best. I think that generally, Aretha is not an albums artist. Her career is defined by her incredible vocal performances and electrifying presence. I think my favorite project by her is the gospel album, but in the form of the movie that was released a few years ago. It's a beautiful thing to listen to, but especially to watch. Having said that, this is a great collection of songs. The classic respect. Drown In my Tears has some the best vocals you can imagine. Baby baby bay is beautiful. Do right woman, do right man as well. A magnificent A Change is gonna Come as a closer. It's a very good album. I just don't find consistently thrilling as many others do perhaps. A strong 3.7 nonetheless.

Decent album Soooo 6pm study music vibes Not sure whether I will come back, not really sure whether it’s the album for me 5.5/10

Hyggelig dette, usikker på om jeg kommer til å høre på igjen 🙃

Koseleg å høyre på!

Has some classics of course.

Classic tunes you know - her voice is great

More moody and melodic than I was expecting. I was of course prepared for "respect" but I assumed a majority of the songs would be belters in a similar vein. However much of the album is more introspective, beautiful, bluesy melodies.

Before: All right, Aretha Franklin! This should be enjoyable. I do like her music but it's not my favorite genre so don't go out of my way to listen to her music. During: Enjoyable experience as anticipated but not one I'll be repeating anytime soon, by choice. After : The album is very good and I'm sure deserves to be on this list but I have to give it a three as it's not something I personally like a lot.

Respect rips, obviously. The rest of the album didn't have as much energy but was still a solid listen.

vibey. groovy. makes sense why Respect was such a crazy cultural touchstone, but if the rest of the album had some more of that energy it'd be better for it. other than that my favorite is probably the title track, I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) has got some of that spunk to it

Rating: 7/10 A consistently good collection of soulful songs from one of the most well regarded singers of all time and so I am probably definitely underrating it. I enjoy it, but I don’t know if this is necessarily a favorite at the moment. But yet I really think I could get into Aretha.

I Respect the album, it's pretty decent, but the vocals and general sound wasn't totally for me. A Change Is Gonna Come great song and great closer 5.8/10

i never really listen to this type of music but honestly such a vibe

Berührt mich nicht

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/aretha-franklin/i-never-loved-a-man-the-way-i-love-you/ Sure, Respect is a bonafide classic, but other that that it's not for me. Bit too much of the same.

One banger, then a bunch of good singing on mediocre songs.

It's okay and I respect the first track. But even Aretha's voice can't save the fact that this is a one trick pony. I'm not really interested in Aretha's romantic longings, so three stars feels appropriate.

I didn't find this very exciting. The vocals are good but everything sounds pretty samey and the instrumentals are nothing noteworthy.

Solid

Nothing but respect for Aretha - she can do no wrong with her voice, and this is entirely a pleasant experience. But...is this an album, or a compilation of ballads? There is no adventure or excitement here, just a perfect voice singing bog-standard R&B/soul grooves.

6/10

First album of the challenge so marked the vote accordingly. Would be closer to 4 than 3.

It's good just not my thing

pretty good, not something I'll come back to much but i definitely see the appeal

Some great tracks, not a great album

Großartige Künstlerin die unseren Respekt verdient hat. Ein großartiger Song. Leider keine weiteren Highlights auf dem Album. Hätte eine gute 3 gegeben, aber respect hat die Kraft auf 4 Sterne hochzuziehen. Allerdings wiederholt sich das Album im letzten Drittel einfach nochmal. Hab erst gedacht es sei ein Fehler im Streamingdienst, ist jedoch tatsächlich so. Das finde ich so dreist, da bleibt es bei der 3.

Fängt großartig an und ebbt anschließen leider ein bisschen ab. Über die Dauer des Albums sogar so sehr, dass in dieser Version am Schluss nochmal die besten Songs wiederholt werden müssen...

Aretha Franklin brought such a iconic voice at the time. Her sound was consistent and recognizable to only her. I don't normally give her a listen but good listen overall.

An obvious classic. Aretha is an amazing singer, and the songs are powerful. This album is more like a time capsule than something I'd be interesting in listening to often.

A nice listen, not sure why Spotify has Respect on it twice, but it's not unwelcome.

R e s p e c t

3/5

mucho soul que me puso de buen humor, también un poco nostálgica, a partir de drown in my own tears me atrapó mucho, obvio esa voz única no se pierde, muy buen album in general!

inconfundible, referencia eterna. me imagino q la gente en los 60s tmb sentía que la música de ella sonaba nostálgica aunq fuera contemporánea. album de atardecer o amanecer pero de fijo como despedida de algo.

I didn’t listen

:) i like the instruments and her voice — esp on ‘lose this dream’. love the vocals on ‘baby baby baby’! the backing vocals on ‘do right woman — do right man’ made me think of roosters. not quite sure why. i liked the last song a fair bit.

Funky and easy listening but I did get bored

It’s a good album, especially the title track Respect. But it says a lot that the best song in here isn’t even hers to begin with.

Genuinely a vibe to listen to as Aretha's voice is just straight fire. It's almost a shame to hear her with the 60's recording quality because I know she is hitting all those notes when the sound peaks a little. Other then that I will mostly only listen to this in group settings as this is generally not my style of music, but I can really enjoy it when the setting is right.

Nunca había escuchado un álbum completo de ella. No es mucho mi estilo de música pero fue bueno en general aunque en algún punto en la mitad lo sentí un poco repetitivo en las melodías, pero de igual forma me alegra haberle dado la oportunidad.

Really good, liked the vibe but no my personal favorite 6/10 I think

some solid bops!

One of the best vocalists ever, what a voice. That being said, while there are some legendary tracks on this album, not enough caught my attention

Respect gets this three stars, and that's where it stays.

I like Queen of Soul but Queen of Funk is better. Opener Respect is the main outright essential classic cool track that you hear all the time in movies and adverts but the rest tends to be a bit more boring and less popular. Get some Chaka Khan here instead. What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me = banger central.

Yeah, this is nice. Good voice, couple of bangers. Nice.

some absolute CLASSICS on this album!! aretha’s version of A Change Is Gonna Come is so amazing and her voice is so good.

Objectively good, but not exactly my thing. A pretty certain 3/5.

It was decent

I “respect” this album. Didn’t get anything new from it really. Weird how there’s like 3 songs that are on the album twice. Respect IS the album, everything else is in its shadow, except a change is gonna come which has such power in its lyrics, which is beautiful. I appreciate the historical significance and the flawlessness in her voice, but the album as a whole is dated and boring. Somehow falls short of timeless, but not far behind I guess. And also it’s low key depressing, lots of toxic love vibes. The album title is giving manipulator. I find it hard to separate the art from the artist sometimes. Bet Aretha was a rebel-rousing honeytrap diva in her day. God bless

Great great vocalist over some good songs and two or three mega hits. Hard to give this anything less than a 3. This is not my bag but I fully understand how it was many people’s bag in 67.

Again, I completely understand how some people think this era of soul is peak, but it just doesn't speak to me in the same way a lot of other music (including neo-soul) does. I did like this album more than Al Green's Let's Stay Together and "Respect" is an absolute bop, but that's not quite enough to push I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You into four star territory for me. Highlights: Respect, Don't Let Me Lose This Dream, Good Times, Save Me, A Change Is Gonna Come

Ik ben niet per se een soul type dus zal dit niet zo snel aan mij playlist toevoegen. Respect vond ik wel leuk, deze kende ik ook al, omdat deze een iets hoger tempo heeft. Ook vond ik do right woman, do right man wel catchy. De rest had ik niet echt iets mee, maar ik vond het ook niet heel erg om naar te luisteren. Prima voor achtergrond muziek ig

Clearly an over rated album based on the name alone. It's a decent album. Respect is the clear stand out and one of the greatest covers of all time but the rest isn't as earth shattering as people are making out. Can't question the vocal but everything else is nowhere near deserving of a perfect scores being handed out. The best songs are also all covers. 3/5.

I love Aretha Franklin, love her voice within this album and the power she echos from it. She is the queen of soul. Love the soul within this project with all sorts of instrumentals, drums, piano, guitar, trumpet and much more. A very nice RnB and soul album that lead great impact.

5/10

Good classic album from an icon!

la voz de esta mina es todo. hermosos los coros también. solo conocía el primer tema (respect) que banco mucho xq es un tema re feminista para la época!! el tercer tema que me hace acordar a bill withers. el tema baby, baby, baby me hace acordar a you really got a hold on me q la conozco x los beatles. es un buen álbum, más para ser del 67!! not my style tho

She has an amazing voice, for easy listening, but I was kinda bored.

Aight

S'okay. "Respect" is a deserving classic, and the rest of the tracks are nice, but nothing special to me. Production definitely dates things a fair amount as well.

Some strong songs including the classic Respect. I can appreciate Aretha’s amazing voice and her cultural impact but ultimately the genre is not for me. Would make a nice background to a dinner party with friends but not the sort of album I’d put on for my own listening pleasure

While I recognize that Aretha's voice is beautiful, the music itself is just not that interesting to me. It's good, but doesn't make me want to listen to it any more often. 3/5

Hey this is funny- in the last five days I've had to listen to Adele, Ella Fitzgerald, and now Aretha! I've never enjoyed Aretha - she's got volume and tone but she just didn't click with me at all. Having just had the Ella Fitzgerald box set, I can comfortably say that Aretha was wasted doing albums full of jazz standards before I Never Loved A Man. Soul and R&B are her genres. Ella is perfect for jazz; Aretha needs something with more oomph to back her up. She too easily overpowers jazz. Which makes me think she would be perfect for a rock band. Yes, I know, that's heresy - but my thought is that she can cut through a band's volume, and they can push her to push her voice to those powerful places that are her bread and butter. Can you picture her on the Zeppelin version of "You Shook Me," or Jimi's "Rock Me Baby?" Or Sabbath's "War Pigs"?????? Good God. Her voice is amazing. You can't argue with that. Maybe it's just her choices of interpretation that turn me off? Maybe its the songs themselves? The songs on this particular record are excellent, and show off her incredible dynamic range, especially the closer. But Aretha just doesn't grab me in the way that Ella does, or, in the soul category, the way that James Brown or Otis Redding do. She's amazing. Just not my bag. THREE STARS

Franklin has the smoothest voice and her lyrical work is so good here! She flows between playful and serious so well. Not even my favorite Aretha Franklin album but so good!

6.18

Best Song: Respect There is no secret that Aretha Franklin can sing. The 3/5 is strictly for replayability for me. I just don't see myself listening to this again, not that it's bad, just that it is timely and not my thing.

I understand it's a classic but nothing grabbed me outside of 'Respect' and 'A Change is Gonna Come.'

*1967. *Starts off hard right off the bat with Respect. *Smoky, jazzy short songs. Pretty and sassy. *A little goes a long way for me. RATING - 6.5/10

Pretty good. Aretha obviously has a killer voice but the backing band & arrangements didn't match her skills.

Soulful AF.

Never listened before but of course heard lots of the tunes. Solid & a good example of why this exercise is good.

Aretha completely revolutionized the way singers, especially female singers, approach vocal runs and vocal stylings in pop music She brought all those big gospel acrobatics into the pop fold. But that influence would only be felt starting with Whitney Houston in the 80's and then more widely during the 90's, with artists like Mariah Carey. The entire American Idol standard of singing can be traced back to Aretha. Sure, a lot of people go way overboard with it, oversinging every single line, but that is not what we find in this record. Here everything is tastefully and expertly executed, and Aretha makes these songs her own. Key tracks: R-e-s-p-e-c-t

3.0 It's interesting but I'm not interested. 4 for the music, 2 for how much I enjoyed it. I can appreciate the art but Aretha just doesn't do it for me.

It was pleasant. I, of course, know her version of Respect which I like. I also knew I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.

- aretha franklin on nimenä tuttu, musiikkia en ole kuuntelemalla kuunnellut - iha jepa! ei oo tämmöset vahvat naislaulajat sillee ollu ittelle ykkösgenre mut ihan kuunneltavaa mussiikkia

yeah ok

First and last songs are the best. Rest of the album is a little slow.

fint. 3

You go girlfriend!

Not my thing

MARAVILLOSO

1967! Wow. A good listen. Had no idea this was nearly 60 years old

Really good album, Respect is an all time great song and I liked Good Times but I do prefer the Sam Cooke original. Overall I did enjoy it but it isn’t one I’m likely to ever go back and revisit. Top Track - Respect

08/1001 не мой жанр, но слушалось без напряга

Respect

What a voice. Well on display on this record. Fantastic soul album.

Aretha's version of "Respect" is so definitive that I never even knew until just now that Otis Redding did it first. Are the backing vocals on that song the greatest backing vocals in music history? I think they might be. (I also love that this album is 32 minutes. Look, I love Jeff Tweedy and his music, but a TRIPLE album? Come on, man.)

An easy listen to get through. Besides what I already knew, nothing made me feel like I was missing out on what Aretha has to offer.

Solid Soul album, honestly thought some of these songs came out later.

Fangt so guet ah und sie het au e extrem gueti stimm. Soooo viel soul finds ganz gross. Mues afach leider zuegeh dases mich geg de schluss nümm so packt het.

Once again I have been impressed by this lady. Modern bands of this ilk could learn a thing or two here. 11 songs at 2½ -3 minutes each, good singing and well written lyrics. I'm just not sure what to score it. In all honesty it's not as good as the last one we had, and it's not really my sort of thing. I believe 3 is a fair score.

A respectful 3 for a stunning vocal performance, even if the music is not to my taste.

Great voice just not my thing.

I feel very conflicted with this album, Aretha has arguably the greatest voice in the business and here it definitely shines, however I found a lot of the songs sounding the same, also a lot of the songs are covers which for me always drags down the legacy of an album. I’m not saying covers can’t be better than the original, but I find a whole or majority of songs on an album to be covers in a way making it easier for a recording artist vs originals or almost all originals which in my opinion makes them not as great

Not gonna seek this one out again, but it’s not a bad album

Ja. Det kan du si.

Pretty fun listen. Not something I'd really go back to but enjoyable enough.

I was really excited when I saw this come up as I've never listened to much Aretha Franklin but I was kind of disappointed. Her voice is amazing but the songs never grabbed me and her version of Drown In My Own Tears was kind of meh.

A nice, classic sounding record with a lot of soul. Although it was certainly hornier than I expected.

Soul classic

Super Einstieg, genial für nebenbei hören, es fließt son bisschen dahin.

I never listened to an album the way I listened to you

Has Respect on it, which makes it at least 3 stars minimum. Elsewhere, the other tracks are nice and pleasant enough - no real other highlights, though. Each song isn't bad or offensive, they just kinda flow in and out without much staying power. But it's nice enough, and for the time period, you can see how it was a major album.

Another great Aretha album

Not my thing. But do have RESPECT.

Respect is iconic and the rest here are also solid slices of 60s soul, but just not really my thing

Good voice Got a little one note for me but gotta respect one of the greats

Aretha

I already had two songs saved from the album, but listening to the whole was slightly less enjoyable. 3.

Lovely tunes thx

Shes got a crazy powerful voice

Its okayyy.

She is insanely popular and I see why she is here, but this just ain't for me. Would rate 2 for my preferences but 5 for influence.