Lady Soul

it's aretha bitch

A classic and nothing else needs to be said

Not something I'd usually seek out on my own but absolutely loved this album. Some really funky tracks in alongside the more soulful stuff I was more familiar with.

Aretha’s energy is absolutely infectious on this album. Something that surprised me on this is the instrumentals. Some really great horns, piano, bass, drums, strings, etc. It sounds a little dated, as far as recording goes. I wonder what it sounds like on vinyl. Man, this is so good

Chain of fools - excellent Money won’t change you - very good People get ready - excellent Niki hoeky - good (You make me feel like) a natural woman - amazing Sweet sweet baby - very good Good to me as I am to you - good Come back baby - excellent Groovin - very good Ain’t no way - excellent 9.5/10

Finally! An objectively fantastic album! From start to finish, an auditory pleasure!

R&B was never the same after Aretha. Classic songs on this album still important today.

Beautiful voice, timeless rhythm and production

I have always focused on Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald neglecting Aretha because she had a Soul sound and I focused on the jazz sounds that the formers brought. BUT THIS IS INCREDIBLE one of the best Soul albums I have ever heard, and these are beautiful just mixed and sounding songs. AINT NO WAY IS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS I HAVE EVER HEARD GENUINELY. There is not a second a moment of filler anywhere on this album. The highs of Come Back Baby and the grooves of Sweet sweet baby. This is a template for what all the best music should be. I get actual goosebumps listening to this album over and over. Even slow songs like People Get Ready still feel beautiful and the drums feel like a train waiting in the station it is absolutely beautiful. I can hear all the music that has stemmed just from the lyrical and sonic genius of this. Money won't change me BUT THIS ALBUM HAS 5/5 one of my favorites so far.

Amazing as always. Aretha Franklin had one of the most powerful voices in popular music. Lady Soul contains two of her greatest hits, but is enjoyable and explosive throughout. Her level of vocal control is remarkable and she never over or under sings. The musical backing is well arranged and highlights her voice well.

The OG Diva - and I mean that in the post positive sense of the term. Aretha is the shit. All "divas" since her (for better or worse - Tina, Whitney, Mariah, Adele, Beyonce, Lizzo) are emulating her - or trying. There may not be a better female (or male?) vocalist. But - let's also talk about the songs as a whole. I was really impressed with the arrangement of almost every track. These can be very simple, straight-forward songs - but they didn't settle for that. The horns, the strings, the little "kicks" and syncopations and chord structures - very well done. And - though I know it wasn't written for me - there may not be a prettier song than Natural Woman. I'm leaning 4 on this, but The Queen is getting a 5 out of respect (that's , r-e-s-p-e-c-t).

All I know are the singles. My first voyage into the deep cuts of Aretha World. Man, what a delight. Interesting to be reviewing this right after reviewing Pearl. Because the two have a lot of commonality and I'm sure Pearl never would have existed without the influence of Franklin (and this record's release just two years prior). The ladies are going "five stars" two reviews in a row. Only because there isn't an option for 6 stars.

Kind of hard to hate Aretha, right? The more I listened, the more I realized I couldn't really find any flaws in it. Smooth soul and gospel backing a one-of-a-kind voice. Favorite tracks: "Money Won't Change You", "Since You've Been Gone", "Ain't No Way"

Amazing, packed with soul and hits. These are lady singing songs that are fun to belt in the shower and around the house.

Brilliant

Fake orgasm vocals

What a great album. Great musicianship, a great voice, and great vibes throughout. Loved it.

The best thus far.

I went into listening to this album not knowing exactly what to expect. Obviously I'm familiar with Aretha's most popular songs, but I am not at all familiar with her extended discography. So, I was a little worried that there'd be some songs I vibed with and others not so much, but boy was I absolutely proven wrong and I'm so glad I was. There's not much for me to say beyond I loved every single song on this album. Like, every single one. I didn't know Chain of Fools by name, but recognized it immediately as soon as it started, and it started things off on a high note(I highly recommend the unedited bonus version that follows Ain't No Way) with everything that followed keeping that momentum. Aretha has an incredible voice that gives these songs appropriate power and feeling. To the point of giving me chills at times. Straight from my listening notes: "I am a sucker for a good pouring of the heart and I just love this. You deserve someone who makes you feel like A Natural Woman, Aretha. Yes." "YOU TELL 'EM ARETHA. THEY BETTER BE AS GOOD TO YOU AS YOU ARE TO THEM. Fuckin' love this one." "You're gonna catch me Groovin' with my baby on a sunday afternoon to this track for sure." I had more notes for each song, but you get the idea. I was on board the entire time. Not only will I re-visit, I think this entire album is going into my liked songs on Spotify and I eagerly await hearing them again. No doubt in my mind in giving this a 5.

5 One of the only - or quite possibly - the only album on the list thus far to have given me goosebumps. Her voice, her energy, her star power - Rolling Stone has now twice named the woman the greatest singer of all-time, and it’s hard to argue with that after listening to this. The album is a constantly swinging pendulum of fun and beautiful, and Aretha manages to knock it out of the park each and every time. Chain of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman are classics, but the song that really moved me here was People Get Ready, a rendition of a song by The Impressions that was being used as the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. Listening to perhaps the greatest singer of all-time spread a message of unity, pride, and power so beautifully during one of the most important chapters in US history… goosebumps. Just goosebumps, man. While that was my favorite moment of my listening, truthfully, every song here is a highlight. I loved everything I heard and could probably go on about each, but the last thing I’ll touch on here is the closer, Ain’t No Way. One thing that’s stuck out to me about a lot of these older albums is a lack of finality, like you’re given a sudden ending once your collection of music runs out, but man, the song just seems to effectively sum up everything that makes the album and woman so iconic - the kind of closer that makes you take a step back once you realize it’s all over and go “Wow”. Unfortunately, you don’t quite get that if you’re listening on Spotify, as the application bundles four bonus tracks at the end, but in the fairest of exchanges, you get more Aretha, and even though they’re four tracks you’ve already heard, the extended version of Chain of Fools may very well be better than the original. Great listen from front to back. As someone who’s never claimed to be the biggest fan of soul music, I’m not sure how someone couldn’t like this - at that point I think you just hate music. I really didn’t set out to give this album a 5 when I started listening, but to give it anything lower would feel like a disservice. Iconic all around.

Another extraordinary recording by Lady Soul, a magnificent showcase for her stunning, soulful, expressive voice. Unmatched as a vocalist, blessed with a warm, comforting tone, this is an album to sink into and enjoy not just the singing but the exemplary backing band (a special nod to Tommy Cogbill whose bass work is incredible). Chain of Fools and You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman are recordings for the ages. Rest in Peace, Miss Franklin, we miss you.

This is a powerful album, crammed to the brim with classic originals and covers. Each track shows Aretha's ability to connect the listener to the emotion and the meaning buried deep down in the soul of every song. The tracks 'Good to Me as I Am to You' and 'Ain't No Way' are so incredibly good.

Every song is a winner and Aretha smacks it out of the park, her vocals elevating already strong material even higher. I can’t find enough superlatives to describe just how good this album is. It’s close to, (if not) the perfect R&B/soul album.

Before going into this I knew Aretha Franklin had a good voice but damn. This was great - loved every track, great mixture of blues and amazing vocals.

Wow! This is amazing. Not a style of music I'd usually seek out, but I really enjoyed it and may well revisit. Incredibly, powerful, melodic, rhythmic and soulful. Not a weak track on the album. It's difficult to imagine how R&B music (or any music for that matter) could be better than this. Objectively and subjectively this can't be anything other than a 5.

Yeah, this is again in my favorite eras and genres of music, so I am a big fan of this. Also, I was surprised to see that this was her 12th studio album! I didn’t realize she had recorded so many by this time!

La grandeza artística que tienen algunas personas a veces es abrumadora y eso sucede con Aretha, vi que esté ya es un disco recopilatorio pero está tan bien mezclado que no tiene un pero; soul, funk, R&B, Gospel y su maravillosa voz son una mezcla perfecta

Where would we all be without a Urethra? Franklin owhere. Great pipes. Ha ha, I'm pissing myself!

One of the most powerful voices in music. Just turn off the lights, stare at a wall and understand what music is all about

I'm familiar with a few Aretha Franklin songs, but this will be my first time listening to one of her albums from start to finish. Soul has been one of my favorite genres so far on this project, so I have high hopes that I'll enjoy this album. Overall, I found this album to be pretty middle of the road. Aretha Franklin is undoubtedly one of the best vocalists in music history, and she showcases a wide range of vocal abilities on this album. She harmonizes, she croons, and she can wails at the top of her lungs, all with a level of control that few singers can duplicate. On top of that, this album has some simple but well executed musical arrangements. The bass line on "Niki Hoeky" is fantastic, and "Money Won't Change You" and "Come Back Baby" have some fantastic horns. But rarely did the vocals and music combine to create something new and interesting. It's not that this album is bad, but I just wasn't wowed by it. Of course, the shining exception to this is "Natural Woman." Aretha delicately sings the verse before delivering the powerful chorus. Her intensity picks up perfectly over the course of the song, as she lets her emotion steer the song. The orchestral arrangements compliment her perfectly, and even though the strings and horns are beautiful, they never once steal the spotlight from Aretha's singing. As much as I love the Carole King version of this song, Aretha's version is something else entirely, worthy of all the praise it gets. Even though this album wasn't really my jam, I know it represents a watershed moment for Aretha Franklin, and it's a massive influence on soul music. Aretha opened the door for so many black women to be able to shine on their own, and her influence as a vocalist still reaches into popular music today.

This is the album that has two of the four Aretha Franklin songs that you know (Chain of Fools & Natural Woman). I was expecting to really love the album. But when it was over (it's only half an hour), I was a little disappointed. I didn't think it was bad. Aretha is in fine form. And I know Jerry Wexler is a legend of a producer. But I didn't hear anything in the song arrangements or the playing that I felt rose to the same level as the Stax or Motown recordings of the same period. The songs written for Aretha/the album (Chain of Fools, Natural Woman, Since You've Been Gone, and Ain't No Way) all sound vital. The covers (Money Won't Change You, People Get Ready, Come Back Baby, and Groovin') all sound like filler. This is a rare occasion when I wish there were half-stars. I don't think the album warrants a 4-star rating. But 3-stars feels a bit low. I wish there had been more of the fresh new songs, and less of the filler covers. The singles are great. The album is mid.

Can’t go wrong with Aretha.

I never heard the rest of this album other than the really popular songs. Although I probably won’t listen to this a lot, I understand the talent of Aretha Franklin.

soul lady! the real deal

Beautiful, soulful, groovy, everything you could want from an artist like Aretha. Her voice can scream through the noise like no other, and the rest of the band deserves their credit as well for producing powerful rhythms to drive her through the record. You couldn’t get more timeless than this.

Breathtaking Best Song: Good to Me as I am to You Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5 Stars

amo a voz dela!!!!!!!

Excellent album from the Queen of Soul. I got to see her perform at the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and she put on a great show

This is the kind of record that you don’t have to be in the mood for, because it just always fits the mood. Just amazing stuff from one of the legends of the genre. Best Track: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Superb! I'm groovin in my seat 🤩 What a vocal range and much love ❤️ to the backup singers. Band keeps it tight and just right. Freaking love this album!

***** Classic Aretha album, classic Artetha songs. Hey, it's Aretha, so it is alway right. What a voice. Great album

Classic! I listened to this more than once as I never realized how great she was.

Outstanding. No bad tracks on the album. 26 year old Aretha sounds amazing. Chains of fools kicks off the album perfectly, Aretha is powerful yet restrained, almost too easy for her. Love this song. People get ready, grooving, and natural woman other standout.

So much of this is canon, I find it easy to miss how much brilliance and labour went into the making.

A short and sweet, very well produced album, with one of the greatest voices ever. What is here not to love? It absolutely deserves a 5.

The Queen of Soul!!!

There is no way I will give it below 5 stars. 🤩

A perfect album I think. Captures the essence of the Muscle Shoals sound and Aretha Franklin gets to showcase every aspect of what makes her so incredible. Special mention to the Franklin sisters who give a masterful performance on backing vocals. Ain’t No Way is probably top 5 love songs of all time and needs more, well, love

Love it

If there is a album with a more famed and established list of songwriters I would like to put it head to head with this one and watch the world explode. James Brown and Curtis Mayfield alone puts this album in a separate category, but you also have The Vegases and Jerry Wexler. And of course not to mention the combination of Carole King and Gerry Goffin who are one of the best songwriting combinations of all time. And I won't even begin to list out the legendary list of artists that played on this album, as I already know this review is going to be substantially long. But damn, is that just as impressive if not more impressive. "Chain of Fools" is a fantastic opening track followed by a couple of solid fillers. Then you have the one and only "(You Make Me Feels Like) A Natural Woman" the fact that this is just the end of the A-Side is possibly the one disappointment of this album. It rightfully belongs as the culmination of a fantastic album (as Carole did on her fellow 5 star album Tapestry). "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" is a great open to the B-Side. But the groove of "Good to Me as I Am to You" speaks to me in a special way. What a work of art on the bass! "Groovin'" is exactly what it claims to be. "Ain't No Way" is the only song that I can understand putting at the end over "A Natural Woman". The only way to end an album other than a song that powerful is with a song this heartfelt and powerful in a completely different way. All in all this is an album that you could apply every positive adjective you could ever think of to and it would be accurate. A masterpiece of an album! Anybody that gives it lower than a 4 star rating should be declared incompetent. That being said it should absolutely be a 5 star album!

Everyone deserves the privilege of hearing Aretha Franklin’s vocals at least once in their life. And this album (her twelfth, unbelievably) sees her on spellbinding form. There’s music for the head and music for the soul, and sometimes you can be so immersed in the groove or struck by such depth of feeling before even realising what you’ve been listening to. At its best, “Lady Soul” is one of those albums. Here are 28 words to summarise my thought process listening to its rapid 28 minutes: “I think Aretha’s quite overra- wha? whaaa? How does she do that?! Wow. She’s going… it went higher! Christ. All that GRIT! And she’s ROCKING! She’s a storm! She’s an icon! Holy shit.” The album is a lot more upbeat than I expected, though two of its strongest cuts are showstopping ballads (“People Get Ready” and, of course, “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”). Across the board, Aretha, the band and the backing vocalists (Sweet Inspirations, who last blew me away in “Dusty in Memphis) give performances overflowing with passion and power. There’s four-to-the-floor rock, brassy Motown, lush soul ballads and smoky blues. On first listen, I was ready to nitpick and say it wasn’t flawless (the meandering blues of “Good To Me As I Am To You” lost me a bit). But sometimes, I should stop trying to dissect everything and write ten paragraphs per album, and just let myself be swept away. “Lady Soul” is one of those albums, and they don’t come around very often. What a thrill to spend half an hour with talent like this.

This is a glorious album and is well deserving of a Five Star rating. Aretha near the peak of her powers. Her voice throughout is strong and powerful, yet she can ease back when required, as in a controlled rendering of Curtis Mayfield's 'People Get Ready'. There is a surprise hint of tape hiss, and as a result it brings a bit more warmth and heart to the performances.

You got a problem with Aretha? Yeah? Then you have a problem with me. Don't mess with the Queen of Soul.

Nove. Os miúdos estão deitados. A sala já não tem desenhos espalhados, uma casa no campo, figuras de pauzinhos sem mãos dadas, pétalas do tamanho do sol. Ele já dorme, ou acorda, ou luta de olho semiaberto contra um loop de televendas que ninguém vai comprar. Os copos vão para a gaveta, os talheres para o alumínio, iluminado o frigorífico que me acolhe as marmitas, cada vez mais curtas. Amanhã começa-se cedo, em casas que não a minha. O sol já não me desperta há muito. A noite acolhe-me com alento, no barulho incessante dos camiões do lixo e o bruto arrancar do padeiro que não põe mudanças desde '97. Amanhã, como sempre, o mundo começa cedo. Abro a rolha, pop!, gulp gulp gulp da garrafa, não acorda ninguém. Um copo para o caminho. Um dia havemos de chegar. MotA: Chain of Fools (extended cut) "For five long years, I thought you were my man / But I found out, love, I'm just a link in your chain"

Dato inútil: este disco lo conocí gracias a Selma Bouvier. Ok, vamos a lo importante. Existe el Soul.... y existe Aretha Franklin. Está en otro nivel propio y es de esas contadísimas cantantes que de verdad sí se ganaron a pulso esos títulos como "Reina del Soul" o ser nombradas una diva. Nadie puede cantar como ella, la potencia, la emoción, la cadencia. A Natural Woman es de esas canciones icónicas que de manera perfecta reflejan como fotografía musical perfecta toda una época y género. En realidad creo que no puedo ni tengo que decir mucho más... es un disco que dudo haya alguien que no pueda apreciar su calidad. Voz espectacular. Una banda de estudio maravillosa con un punto de funk perdido en detalles, una cantidad perfecta de metales sin exagerarlos. Coristas de fondo excelentes, también en su perfecta medida sin opacar pero con suficiente presencia. La música puro soul puro, algunas rápidas, algunas lentas, algunas modernas algunas que se les siente el fondo de su origen en gospel. No hay pero para este disco.

What can I say? Incredible this was an actual album and not a best-of. What a time to be alive

Lovely album, lovely voice, enjoyed it quite a lot. The songs varied a bit too so it didn’t really get boring and there were plenty of familiar songs. Would listen again

Nr. 173/1001 Chain of Fools 3/5 Money Won't Change You 4/5 People Get Ready 4/5 Niki Hoeki 3/5 A Natural Woman 5/5 Since You've Been Gone 4/5 Good to Me As I Am to You 3/5 Come Back Baby 4/5 Groovin' 4/5 Aint No Way 4/5 Average: 3,8 Probably the finest voice in popular music.

J'ai bien aimé cet album mais j'en veux à cette dame d'avoir popularisé les expressions "Où est le respect ?" et "C'est le cousin à qui encore ??"

gude

Probably not an intergalactic paedo

a massage for your inner ear

Not my cup of tea but fantastic vocals

A gorgeous voice from such an immense talent. The style just isn't for me, but that doesn't away from being able to objectively see what made Aretha so great

Finally, some good fucking food! Aretha Franklin is so good, I mean she’s called the Queen of Soul for a reason holy shit. I liked the whole album but money won’t change you and (you make me feel like) a natural woman were both standouts.

Stunning. Her voice is clear, emotional, and classic. Equal parts swaying and groovy. Favorite songs: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Chain of Fools.

This week is full of soul and i love it!

Sunday morning staple now

The queen

The first time I'm listening to Aretha. Oh my god, amazing. Beautiful album. Listened to it twice. Will prolly listen to it more. Goated

This is really good. Obviously the music is there to showcase Aretha's vocals, but her vocals are absolutely amazing so it's a perfect choice. Aretha Franklin 100% deserves to be on this list, and while this is the only album from her I've listened to, it's definitely good.

That key change in ‘People Get Ready.’ Rest of the songs rule too. Aretha’s vocals carry this album.

Classic soul. Terrific stereo mix. Insane cast of supporting characters. No weak songs.

It’s crazy how foundational this sound was

cannot get enough of this!

God, what an album. I mean, Aretha has pipes that would make seemingly anything shine, but this old bluesy soul production is similarly so timeless. It's fun, absurdly funky dance music (in the best way possible) supremely elevated by one of the greatest vocalists of my lifetime. It starts out so hot with Chain of Fools and really doesn't let up. Even slower tracks like People Get Ready manage to take you to church, they hit heavy with bold brass sections and saucy guitar play. I also find myself absolutely enthralled by bass play in almost every track. Really just a no-skips album of beautifully executed soul from it's golden age, paired with an all-time vocal talent. I think Niki Hoeky is my sneaky favorite track, but the floor on this album is just so damn high.

Loved it.

She’s the queen. That is all.

With her preternatural voice and presence, Aretha singing baby shark for 45 minutes would still be a three star. But with songs as strong as these…

Ah, redemption! Love me some Aretha!

Bringing down the house

What a voice, fantastic arrangements

Great. What an ending.

Wow I'm so glad that this introduced me to Aretha because this entire album was so full of feeling and musical and vocal expertise; just floored me. Not particularly music I would look for on my own, but it really hit me deep. I will be listening to Good to Me as I Am to You on repeat- I think that's my favourite song off this album, along with Chain of Fools. Ain't no Way was also very beautiful. 9/10

She straight up freaked it

4.5

4.5

Definitely loved *Never Loved A Man Better* but this was near perfect! (9.8) ★★★★½

Loved it Would probs give 4.5

She is lady soul. This is a great album with a few amazing tracks but every track is worth listening to.

So good. Love hearing her voice from the younger years.

An absolute powerhouse at her peak. Ain't No Way is the ultimate proving ground for serious singers. You don't attempt it if you can't sing it. Cissy Houston's soaring background vocals provide the perfect complement.

For some reason, I've never listened to Aretha Franklin all that much? This one's been my default favorite anyway, because "Chain of Fools" is my favorite song of hers, but actually it's all great. I really love how the backing singers sound here, which sounds like a slight on Franklin herself, but it's not! It's just that everyone's in top form here! I really need to stop neglecting her other albums, don't I?

Craig: good, liked it. Dot: just fine Courtney: great album, every song hits

Easy 5 stars, classic. Perfect voice and so much feeling. Sometimes great singers leave me feeling a bit cold, not Aretha. Love it Favs - People Get Ready, Good to me as I am to You!!!, kind of all of them.

A genuinely good album with no bad songs! Fav Songs: Natural Woman, Since You’ve been gone

In Lady Soul we trust, what a powerhouse of a woman.

I love Aretha for some of her songs, and this album is a classic featuring great gems. It's not something I would have picked on my own but it was a pleasant listen.

She’s the queen