Lady Soul

Legend.

1. chain of foolz - 2.5 2. money uuont change you - 2 3. people get ready - 1.5 4. niky hoeky - 1.5 5. you make me feel - 1.5 6. zince youve been gone - 1 7. good to me az i am to you - 1 8. come back baby - 1 9. groovin - 1.5 10. aint no uuay - 2

Just awesome singing, production, the supporting music is so beautifully played. Love listening to the guitar and bass along with Aretha.

Much richer than I had appreciated before. More ebullient than I can really dig on, but I respect the technique.

Decent, great voice and band, lovely bass

If you already exist on a higher plane than every other human when you’re alive, what happens when you die? Aretha probably knows. Every song on this collection is jaw dropping. People should not have this ability, like it feels almost unnatural that her talent existed in nature. A voice like Franklin’s comes around once in a lifetime if you’re lucky. It’s sad to think we probably won’t get another like hers soon, maybe ever.

The Queen of Soul stays running vocal circles around everything and everyone.

Cool album a must to buy

Some legendary classics on this album - "Chain of Fools" and "A Natural Woman" are standouts, but all of these songs hang together with soulful singing and playing.

Every time I listen to Aretha Franklin I am reminded of this quote from Billy Preston: "I don’t care what they say about Aretha. She can be hiding out in her house in Detroit for years. She can go decades without taking a plane or flying off to Europe. She can cancel half her gigs and infuriate every producer and promoter in the country. She can sing all kinds of jive-ass songs that are beneath her. She can go into her diva act and turn off the world. But on any given night, when that lady sits down at the piano and gets her body and soul all over some righteous song, she’ll scare the shit out of you. And you’ll know—you’ll swear—that she’s still the best fuckin’ singer this fucked-up country has ever produced."

Seems like a crime to give her anything less than a 4, and I ain't breaking the law today.

Classic

Beautiful, as always.

Loved the band, loved Aretha Franklin. Great album.

This is one of those albums that I don't necessarily come back to often besides a couple of tracks but when I do listen to it in full I am always taken aback by the incredible consistency of this album. Not a bad song on it and as much as the hits are great, the deep cuts are just as good and some are better. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is obviously the transcendent song on this album and it deserves all the credit it gets as it is an absolutely amazing song I listen to all the time. "Chain Of Fools" is a very strong gospel inspired song that opens this album perfectly with the perfect amount of energy. "People Get Ready" is a beautifully written track that unsurprisingly was originally written by Curtis Mayfield. That honestly is what stands out to me the most about this album is the insane amount of incredible artists that had their hands on this album. Obviously you start with Aretha one of the greatest vocalists of all time, Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations on backup vocals, Eric Clapton & Bobby Womack play guitar on tracks who each themselves are incredible artists with their own incredible solo work and then you have songs written by/for Carole King, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, the Young Rascals and Don Covay. It would literally be impossible to make an album that involves all these great artists and it not be good. All that being said I think my favorite tracks on the album are the aforementioned "People Get Ready", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Niki Hoeky", "Ain't No Way" and "Good to Me as I Am to You". A clear 10/10 album that is the perfect length to just throw on whenever you have a half hour of work or just need a short album to listen to.

4*

Hearing “chain of fools” as an opener to an album is such a confident, quiet first few seconds of an album, with straight fire for the rest of the song. Goddamn. I already know I’m going to listen to this again before getting to track two. 🤯 Had no idea she had a “People Get Ready” cover. Floored.

Incredible album from start to finish. A true classic.

First side wasn't really my thing, but a couple of tracks on the second side were working for me. Come Back Baby and Groovin'. Ain't No Way as well. Growing on me.

Just amazing

Pretty outstanding. It's hard to pick out a favorite song from this as all of them are truly great. Parts of 'Chain of Fools' and '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' had been buried into my subconscious.

I mean... giving the Queen of Soul a low score? Not going to happen. Particularly with the song line-up on this album: "Chain of Fools," "Natural Woman." Standards. Covers of the time: "People Get Ready," "Groovin'". It's funny because we had just heard the original take in the latter recently. I'd ding "Ain't No Way" slightly, the background "whoa" effect has not aged well. But that's a quibble. I really wish there was a better personnel listing for the album, track by track. I only know that Eric Clapton played guitar on "Good To Me As I Am To You" because he put it on an anthology. The other players on the other songs, I have no idea who did what on what. I was saying about how the strings in the previous album I listened to by Tim Buckley really made the song sound like it was of that era. "Natural Woman"... it does too, but in a proper way. Like a document as important as the Constitution, it's of its era. I'm glad I got to listen to the album, it was definitely a great one by her. Bordering on classic, so I am definitely going to give it that 5-stars now.

Now on this album, the Queen of Soul is on fire. Her earlier album (with Respect on it) felt dated or like it was missing something from time to time. But not this one. Lady Soul yanks your soul right out of your body. My spine tingled (I am not kidding) on 4 out of the first 5 songs. Chain of Fools and Money Won't Change You are absolutely electric (the latter just as electric as its maker James Brown), and it's Aretha's vocals that do it. And then her voice soars on some of the slower ballads like People Get Ready (a great remake) and A Natural Woman. If you don't know why this woman is so revered (I admit I didn't totally understand), listen to this album and now you know. Damn, what an absolute treasure she was.

first album ive heard from aretha franklin. such an amazing singer. eric clapton is also playing guitar here. really cool

Fantástico.

Five stars is too low of a max when dealing with the greatest vocalist these united states have ever produced. I tried to consider stand out moments, but the whole thing is amazing. All hail the queen. twenty-five million stars given.

An iconic album, and while I wouldn't normally reach for it I had a hard time critiquing it. I was transported to its release and it seemed like such a game changer. She was a powerhouse from the first line of the first song.

Such a great album! Aretha is a classic star with a beautiful voice.

Such a sensational performer and an amazing voice. What else needs to be said?

Classics only! Aretha Franklin is an icon. One of the greatest singers of all time. The album title says it all. Many of these songs are remakes or have been remade by so many others, but nobody does it better than Aretha. Her version of A Natural Woman is the only one any of us ever needed. She takes us to church on People Get Ready. Groovin’ is barely recognizable as a total remix – the best way to redo such a popular song. Make it your own. My mom sings Since You’ve Been Gone just about everyday. It’s just a song that lives in her head rent-free. Ain’t No Way lives in mine. I’ve been mesmerized by that song since I was a child. I didn’t understand the draw then, but now, as an adult who’s been through some life and had some loves, I now know that operatic wail in the background vocal is what raw emotion sounds like. So, I'll repeat: Aretha Franklin is an icon. One of the greatest singers of all time. The album title says it all.

Amazing singer. Outside what I’d normally listen to but hard to critique any element of the album.

Не плохой соул

this is not my genre at all, but Aretha is crazy talanted. amazing voice, powerful singing and overall, very good album, just hard for me to enjoy, sadly. my favorite song from here is Come Back Baby.

A no-brainer. That voice gives me goosebumps. I feel every word she's singing.

It's real nice. "Ain't No Way" wins the best track award, which is a lovely soulful ballad.

Nothing matches her voice

Aretha's "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You" was the second album this site generated for me. It was also the first 3 star rating. As soon as I was generated this album I knew it was going to be another 3 stars. Actually, I prefer the earlier Aretha album. This one not only doesn't have "Respect" on the track list, but overall is just less interesting. She has less writing credits (I think just one track, which wasn't even a particularly good song), and although she makes a few nice cover choices, overall I wasn't won over. You can't technically fault this, though, which was why I couldn't bring myself to give it a 2.

Really good! Can see why she’s so highly regarded. Great voice, great performance, and good songs too.

What a powerhouse she was. Incredible album.

good album! aretha has an amazing voice and these songs are solid. i didn't really understand the "bonus selections" on the spotify album just being mono versions of the songs on the album that sounded the same to me, but I guess that's more spotify's fault than anything. favorites: chain of fools, you make me feel like a natural woman

From the word "go", Aretha Franklin settles down firmly into her given moniker of "Queen of Soul" with this taut yet no less impactful array of songs that due diligence to her immense talent and emerging status in not just her genre but in all of music. What this Lady does in just short of thirty minutes on this album will (and probably has) put most of her contemporaries and those she's influenced to shame.

A solid album, a powerhouse that exudes cool and soul from every pore. A voice for the ages and can see myself coming back for more.

Back to back Aretha Franklin albums, and this was much the better one.

A wonderful showcase of songwriting, talent and soul.

Aretha in the height of her career, with Eric Clapton on guitar. She gives an incredible performance, with a versatile loud and energetic voice capable of showing all sorts of emotions. It's an excellent display of Memphis-style soul, with the first half incorporating gospel (including her two hits), and the second half more focused on funk and blues. Impressed by the backing band and vocals, especially the funky bass lines. The cover "Groovin" was a pleasant surprise, and "Ain't No Way" was a romantic jazzy closer. No bad tracks, just a couple I didn't care for much like "People Get Ready."

A classic.

This is a great collection of the most well-known songs of Aretha Franklin. I like the mixing - it doesn't make any element of the music, whether voices nor instruments, overtly dominant.

Very easy listening.

This was a great album. The vocals are nothing less than incredible, and the other parts pair perfectly.

In a completely expected turn of events, Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin kicks major ass.

I mean, it's Aretha Franklin, some of her greatest hits, and an overall solid album to boot. Her voice is incredible and I'm looking forward to more of her on this list!

Classic Aretha!!

The amazing thing about Aretha Franklin was that she could take a popular song by another artist, put her spin on it and create a wholly different song that is 10x better than the original. There are plenty of examples of that on this album. 4.5/5

Lady Soul.

Classic album, what a voice, fantastic instrumentation. FOUR

som muito agradável, romantico e tals vozerao, classic

First time listening to an album by her front to back, really enjoyed it. Falls off a little towards the end but still great.

she’s brilliant and i wanted to like it way more than i did. what an incredible voice she has! i just didn’t have much fun listening to it.

A lot of bangers in this one. Surprised myself by knowing a lot of them even though I've never intentionally listened to Aretha Franklin.

4.5

An objectively perfect album from start to finish. I'm so happy I got this album on my birthday. There are few, if many vocalists better than Aretha.

Too old timey for me

Amazing voice, amazing songs.

Lightning in a bottle

Soulful, easy on the ears, sounded nostalgic! I liked the mood it put me in.

Uretha Frankin 👍

7/10, 70%

Legend

сам альбом особо не впечатлил, но какой чудесный вокал и в целом вайб. надо ещё много Ареты послушать

day 34 - the first album I’m seeing with an avg rating over 4, and deservedly so. I don’t know what I can say that hasn’t been said before, Aretha is simply incredible. I was smiling and grooving from that first “chain chain chaaaainnn” all the way through. The production, arrangement, overall flow of the album are all stellar and highlight her voice so perfectly. I don’t think I can find a flaw in this album. Natural Woman is my favorite, but of the tracks new to me I really loved Good to Me as I Am to You and Groovin’. easy 5/5!

She makes nearly every song (not written by her) her own. Wasn't sure how I would feel about her version of "Groovin'" but I found it to be really good. This is Aretha at her peak and it's hard to find better music than this. I would love to have this on vinyl.

Don't know if this is her best album but Chain of Fools, Ain't No Way, and Natural Woman all deserve to be on list of her best. Give me Aretha anyday, anyplace, anytime, and I'll be good.

Not my closest listen by any means, but this absolutely rips. Aretha has such a commanding voice that suits these soulful instrumentals so well. I enjoyed this -- solid 4 / 5.

From the opening line, a classic I've not appreciated. Very, very good.

The Queen of Soul - lets see what its all about then!

5-stars, would recommend

There's no beating that voice - superb.

The Queen of Soul. Spent time with Jimmy Johnson and David Hood (The Swampers) Muscle Shoals Al. They helped bring Aretha’s sound to life after she lost her record deal in the 60’s. Went with Jimmy to the Premier of the Muscle Shoals movie and saw him get the Talladega keys to the City.

It was pretty nice

It’s good but I’m not a fan.

The queen of Soul/R&B - what a voice! Not necessarily the best selection of her songs, but it includes the incomparable "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", and her version of the gospel classic "People Get Ready" (later also covered by Bob Marley).

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.

WOW! This is an amazing album. It has been a long time since I've heard something off this list that has blown me away and this album brought a huge smile to my face. I raved about it to my beautiful wife last night. Some times you forget just how good the old R&B music was, still is and always will be. Hell, I let my Spotify play this genre all day, after this album finished. Simply the best. Every single song was outstanding. I have heard Curtis Mayfield's version of People Get Ready, which is excellent. Somehow the Queen made it better. I think I could write a brief comment about every song, but I'll save everyone their time and just say this is a must listen. My personal favorite is Ain't No Way. Immediately downloaded on my Spotify, but again, this entire album gave me goosebumps. This album will be played this weekend as I'm enjoying a few beers, a few tokes and the summer sun. I say this a lot, but I do love me that R&B sound and this is right at the top of my list. What a wonderful, wonderful album. She is truly amazing! 5

Man, what to say about Aretha Franklin? Obviously of course she's Matt 'guitar' Murphy's controlling but hilarious wife in both Blues Brothers movies. so I've known about her and been familiar with some of her work my whole life, but also who the fuck hasn't? She's the queen of fucking soul for a reason. She is a once in a lifetime - humankind maybe - talent. An OG music legend. I very much recommend her biopic "RESPECT" if you want to see how much respect she commanded. Also Jennifer Hudson kills it. 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.

I can appreciate when something is just good. I saw the track list and thought it was a greatest hits record

Lekker

Masterpiece from front to back! Like, seriously, if you don't find yourself jamming out to every track on this album, your soul is LONG gone... is there really anything else to be said? (Favorite Tracks: Chain of Fools, Money Won't Change You, Groovin', Ain't No Way)

godess

Wat een discography. ze hit altijd juist

Classic

Simply wonderful! Aretha is fantastic and the songwriting is really lovely at times. can get a bit samey but the highs are really high. best tracks: chain of fools, a natural born woman, people get ready

amazing, nice album

Went pretty hard actually

a lot of classic songs i recognize and enjoy

Pure class

Possiblement el disc on la veu d'Aretha sona millor i més segura de si mateixa. La seva interpretació de temes com 'Chain of Fools', (You Make Me Fell Like) A Natural Woman' o 'People Get Ready' demostren la confiança de la cantant en les seves possibilitats

Aretha Franklin's talent was really what made me enjoy this album the most. How could you not be happy while listening to her sing?

AWESOME! Takes me back

4.5 The fast ones were absolute perfection for me. Personally, not quite as keen on some of the slower ones but they're still great. Fave songs: Chain of Fools, Niki Hoeky, come back baby, Groovin'

never listened to this album and it's actually pretty good

Flawless! Take us to Church!

Timeless. 5/5.

I dig every tune on this record. Aretha’s voice is phenomenal and the horn arrangements are lots of fun.

aretha franklin is a legend

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, chain of fools.

What a voice

Classique

Not my usual genre but very enjoyable listening nonetheless

Very good

Chain Chain Chaiiiiiiiinnnn! This album is such a treat. A Natural Woman is a great song. Every song is a soul bop.

Pure class

Top shelf. You're all thinking it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTXszRHc0qs

Nice!

Very easy and fun listen. Relaxing at times and captures a zeitgeist that continues to exist in America despite the change in time and generations.

Dang. Wow. She got pipes

Just a reminder that her name is not "Arethra" Franklin

"Chain of Fools" feels like it belongs in a movie. it makes me feel like i'm in one. "people get ready" is a vibe! the thing about this genre is that i get bored of it v quickly if the song isn't like, exceptionally good/makes me feel things. the guitar in "good to me as i am to you" is so nice! edit: oh it's the one with eric clapton!! i can see myself in the 60s, my hair in a beehive, wearing a sundress, dancing to this album, maybe with a cigarette in my hand and a lover by my side. i looovee "ain't no way" i like the longer chain of fools better, i think. Though starting the album fast is a good choice. but i like that they included this one still.

Fave

Amazing voice of course, and some of the top classics of all time.

Hoy no puedo poner ni un pero. Maravillosa (PSP)

Powerful, versatile voice. What else do you need from a soul-singing woman?

Absolute classic. The power in Aretha’s voice is undeniable. The backing band is also great. Recorded with the legendary Muscle Shoals session musicians (Eric Clapton plays on a track too). There’s a documentary on YouTube about the Muscle Shoals studio, highly recommend watching so you can fully appreciate their greatness.

There will never be a voice like Aretha's - never a mood to match. She perfectly straddles the transition from gospel to 70s soul and brings the essence of spiritual devotion into the secular world seamlessly. Her voice is controlled while expansive and completely inspiring. It's such a complete expression it makes you want to punch walls. Having said that, I still found elements of this album a touch humdrum and incoherent. Aretha is a five star, life-changing singer but the album falls shy of its potential.

Recongised Chain of fools from a bakermat remix and instantly knew this would be a banger. This is what I think of when I think of Soul.

Solid. Wouldn't think I'd enjoy the "showy" vocals but they aren't showy. Just good.

good, it does not include any of my most liked songs of hers but it is still amaying, aretha has an amazing voice that just send you so much energy, love her

Just a very pleasant listen! Saved tracks: Chain Of Fools, Ain’t No Way, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

You have to be in the mood for soul music, and I wasn't.

Me gustó ♥

Listened to it twice through and would definitely listen again in the future

She can sing, huh?

Enjoyable.

Just great classic soul

The Queen of Soul in her prime, with the killer Muscle Shoals swampers backing her. An absolute classic.

She killed it, great album, beautiful voice, timeless.

Another great album. We are on a hot streak! Great voice across all songs, I really appreciate the range of powerful, energetic songs that flow well with more melodic, softer songs. Apart from Aretha holding down the songs with her voice, I think the rest of the band on this album deserve credit; especially the brass and backup singers. Wish I could give this 4.5 stars. Never really listened to Aretha Franklin much before. I understand where all of the respect for her comes from. Another reason I appreciate this 1001 albums challenge.

Absolute perfect album in my opinion. The whole band and Aretha are I'm perfect sync in every song. Have to love some great horns to go with such a powerful singer. I wish somehow Aretha and Dusty could do a duet album.

Clapton played guitar on this whoa. Chain of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman are the obvious standouts. Very short album but what a voice! I dig it.

Queen! The rating is just based on my taste and potential desire to listen to this again. I’m sure she actually deserves all 5.

The fact that I know half of these songs already over 50 years after this album's release shows just how many classic hits it contains.

She's obviously the greatest soul singer of all time. What else do you want me to say?

Tulkitsijana tietenkin erinomainen, ei voi eikä halua kiistää. Sellainen levy, jonka voi soittaa useimmissa tilanteissa. Mutta yhdellä kuuntelulla ei jätä vauuu-jälkeä

On suuri vääryys, että soul on tämän sivuston mukaan yksi vähiten suosikkigenreistäni. Mutta ei voi mitään - tämäkin levy on filleriä täynnä, ja vaikka mukana on Natural Woman, siis ehkä artistin paras tulkinta, kokonaisuus on hieman puiseva jopa alle puolen tunnin LP:ksi.

Outstanding album.

A hit machine, I love these songs

You'd have to be a bit of a fuck to not get around this. Everything about this album is just so great. It's hard not to be utterly enamoured with it throughout. So much passion, so much groove. Instrumentally banging. Great range of tracks. Her ability to be such a powerful yet emotive vocalist is quite something. One of those albums that really makes you feel alive. Fav Track: Good to me as I am to you

I mean its an unimpeachable record. The songs that aren't massive hits are so short you can't tire of them before they're over. 5 easy

I don’t find this kind of music particularly interesting, but I’ll give it a 4 on the strength of Frankin’s voice, which is astonishing. Aint no way was my favorite

Nothing to say. Aretha is the Queen of Soul and this is one of her best.

A clear 5. Classics throughout delivered perfectly

The Queen has arrived. What a voice, and what an excellent group of songs. I don’t have much original to say here, but I will never forget her performance if you make me feel like a natural woman to honor Carole king at the kennedy center honors. It was spectacular and it’s such a shame that the song’s outro is faded out here.

Soulful classic

Soul doesn’t get much better. Though not all of these tracks are classics, the vocal presence on each is simply undeniable.

Beautiful

Obviously breathtaking, she's the GOAT

Hard to say much other than great listen.

Good, although I probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected given Franklin’s colossal reputation.

This is pretty dang good. Out of 10 songs, 3 are all-timers that will be around long after me...

One of the greats

Another fantastic album

This album is perfection.

Pretty undeniable collection of tracks. Whatta voice! Great grooves! Power and passion! What more can ya say? Another strong four and a half and only accounting for my taste. Fave track: Groovin' / (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Hard not to be engaged and entertained with this collection of tracks - a mixture of classics and moving vocal performances that left me wanting more with the whole record coming in at under half an hour. An easy one to add to the rotation - 4-and-a-half stars. Fave track: Ain’t No Way

Amazing

Clearly 5 stars. Fact.

Decent listen but all blended together.

- album flows amazing - takes you in for 30 minutes -amazing vocals -Chill instrumentals - Could listen to it many times

Go on Aretha

WOW! I've heard soo much about Aretha but never really got to listen to it, and it's just INCREDIBLE she has a amaing voice and vocal control, all the songs are extremaly impactfull and the album as a whole has a great vibe to it

I would get a lot of hate for saying her voice is a little overrated. She is great though

saturday the 13th it was on this day i found out im not jewish or italian. it was also on this fateful day i got my ass surgically removed and handed to me on a silver platter (much like the head of st john the baptist). because on this great and terrible day laura absolutely eviscerated me at smash. and this was the day i listened to 'lady soul'. 'chain of fools' - my god. only my maker witnessed the glory that was me singing this in the shower with a depth of feeling that has surely never been seen. 'natural woman' is so unbelievably gorgeous and transcendant. carol king is a great songwriter but there is such a genius in the quality of execution in all of her songs that only franklin could pull off. im walking out towards door - i've had the loveliest day, but there is a sting in my heart. mio dio. oy vey. how can one look oneself in the mirror after this day. i got dealt the beatdown, and the smackdown. lauras picking me up at 3:30, she took me to school. i got beat by the fucking dog pokemon. i got beat with my mains. i got beat with my secondaries. a high point in my fighting skill was with fucking nolimar. after all my trashtalk i got beat, and i got beat bad. order has been restored to the force. the perfect karmic ending to this evil villain story. im opening the door to easter road, and my finger gets caught on the door. i scrape through the brick wall but the whole door lands on my middle finger nail. it was really sore. really really really sore. im walking for ten minutes squeezing and sooking it with all my might and even the junkies are looking funny at me. i get home and take a proper look at this 23 and me result. mum was right. im unbearably white, but that's okay. but there is one thing she did fail to mention on the phone. 0.3% finnish baby. IM A FINN MENNÄÄN! KIPPIS! FINLANDIAAAAA! 🇫🇮

Soul’d out!

Shoutout Aretha

Önskar jag kunde sjunga som hon!

You make me feel like a na-tu-ral womannn! This is very cool. Great pacing too, it's hard to not like this!

Fun and bubbly, heartwarming and true. Not exceptionally special but does what it does well.

Aretha sounds good.

Clapton played guitar on this album. He stinks. When it comes to classic albums like this where the singer is the focus, I'm always interested in the backing band. In some cases it's an iconic group of session musicians like The Wrecking Crew or something. But This one seems to have a pretty big mix. Which always makes me wonder who did the arrangements. Was it democractic/group effort? Or is the producer calling the shots? The producer of this album was Jerry Wexler, a journalist turned producer who coined the term "R&B". Thanks, Wikipedia.

Very enjoyable

Just a great soul album, one of the best. Oblivious great vocals. Great listen. 4. TBz 1. Chain of Fools 2. Good to Me as I Am to You 3. You Make Me Feel Like 4. Niki Hoeky

Yeah, it's expectedly good! Didn't realise she covered Groovin' which is a tune, and now I have a 4th version to love

Perfect

The Queen of Soul showing her chops. You can't help but groove along.

I didn’t consider myself an Aretha Franklin fan but I listened to this four times through. There’s something to be said for 30 minute albums that don’t overstay their welcome - no weak tracks, no fluff, no filler.

Never a bad listening to Aretha. Album really shows her capabilities as an artist.

I would have rated this 5/5 in any case, but given I just watched the Muscle Shoals doc the other day about the background musicians at Fame, it was already top of mind. And I'm a sucker for any version of People Get Ready, and this one is stellar.

That was a lovely way to spend 30 minutes.

the Queen at full power here favs: Ain't No Way, A Natural Woman, People Get Ready, Sweet Sweet Baby, Groovin least fav: ...ig Come Back Baby if I had to choose...

Perfect. As were the two albums before this one.

All damn day.

Didn't know this is the album You Make Me Feel came from. It's a great record, she's has an amazing vocal performance. I'm more of a fan of the groovy songs on here.

Beautiful album. Absolutely timeless voice, could have listened to the album on repeat all day

Some bangers, lyrics sometimes outdated

Queen of Soul

Legend, but just a couple of her most legendary tracks on this one, as is usually the case

F.S. : chain of fools 2ie. be good To me as I am to you Good!

La reina del soul. Un par de megahits. Un 4.

Good, fun music. Not a lot of songs.

The earth's not had many better voices but the heavy-handed arrangements bring her down, it must be said. It's hard not to like "People Get Ready" and "Groovin.'" And soul music's not had many more soulful cuts than "Ain't No Way" and, of course, the much better known "Natural Woman." Never Loved a Man is the better of the two records on this list.

Aretha is great, but as an album this left me a bit cold for some reason

Yeah this is an easy 5. just incredible heartfelt music. voice like no other

I love this, its just feels nice and comforting to listen to

An excellent, easy listening album that makes you groove for a whole 28 minutes and 46 seconds.

Lovely voice, some great musicianship. A few groovy bass licks. Not 100% for me but definitely one of the best and dynamic vocal ranges I've heard

Ridiculously great album.

Lovely classic album. Finally a great one after a while.

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman!

Nada que decir. No puede no gustarte. Lo único malo es que estos discos a veces parecen una mezcla metida con calzador sin mucha coherencia entre los temas. Supongo que el concepto en esa época no daba para más. Los temas están en estéreo y algunos luego se repiten en mono. "Chain of fools", "People get ready" o "(You make me feel like) a natural woman".

was good

This was a shame to be honest, was looking forward to it but it just didn’t grab me like I wanted it to. Another one I’ll chalk up as bang average.

I like this album. Aretha Franklin has a great voice, and I enjoyed the funky backing to her singing. I wasn't a huge fan of her slower songs, but they weren't bad. My only problem with this album is that I can't pick out one single song, they all are very similar. No song made me go, "This is awesome!". 4/5 Favorite song: Niki Hokey Worst song: Good to Me as I Am to You

There's a lot to consider with Lady Soul: the production, the studio, the players, the producer and the song writing. Jerry Wexler did the world a favour when he recognised what needed to happen with Aretha, without him she would have gone down as a minor gospel singer, like a b grade Jean Wells. First thing he does is get her to play the piano and sing, smart move. Then he gets her to New York and Muscle Shoals, and that brings her into the world of Spooner et al, match made in heaven. And then there's the tunes, the songwriters. Don Covay, James, Curtis, Eddie and Felix from the Rascals, and of course the perfect meeting of Aretha and Gerry and Carole, I'd argue as close to perfect until she decided to take on Hal and Burt's I Say a Little Prayer. Wexler has the vision and the chutzpah to pull it all together and bring together all the right elements for a another critical stage in the evolution of pop music. You simply can't imagine a pop music world without Aretha from Lady Soul on, she's out there in our pop music DNA. A beautiful record.

Classic! One great soul track after another. I could possibly get picky after a close listen, but why would I do that? After a long hard day this album really lifted my spirits, and both of us could enjoy it together.

My parents were huge Al Jolson fans &, subsequently, so was I. In 1961, when Columbia was trying to turn Aretha into a lounge singer, they released a single of her covering the Jolson classic Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody. It was the first song I ever heard her sing. reached #20 on the 2UE Top 40 & at age ten, I bought that single & still have it. She could sing the phonebook, which is why Rolling Stone voted her the Greatest Singer Of All Time in 2008. There’s a clip you can catch on Youtube of Aretha on Shindig in 1964, performing The Shoop Shoop Song, which wasn’t a song she ever recorded. This was when she was still signed to Columbia, before Atlantic stole her away & gave her the chance at true greatness. And as she absolutely tears the song up, Darlene Love, performing backing vocals with the house girl-group, The Blossoms, starts waving & shouting encouragement at Aretha, because she can see just how good she was. It’s one of my absolute favourite pieces of live 60’s TV. What a voice. This is a truly great record. And it’s not just her doing - the material is outstanding - the cream of American songwriters from that period - Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Don Covay, Goffin & King, The Rascals & Aretha herself. The producer, Jerry Wexler & the engineer, the great Tom Dowd. And, as well as the cream of Memphis’s Muscle Shoals musicians, there’s Clapton, The Sweet Inspirations, Cissy Houston, & the great King Curtis. And Aretha was never in better voice. A true classic.

It is hard to say anything new about Aretha, at the height of her amazing powers here. Even the filler tracks ("Niki Hoeky", anyone?) are funky and she sings the hell out of every song, and there is a reason the standout tracks from this record are absolute classics. An unambiguous five-star all-time classic album. I could listen to this every day. Damn it, I _should_ listen to this every day. Most surprising moment; her two whoops right at the end of "Good as I am to you"

Love this. Incredible voice, great songs, good production.

Nice

Yes please!

Queen

Delicious

4/5 It seems as though I've become jaded since last week, and I've forgotten the Pavement days, cause I didn't quite think it lived up to my expectations. It was very good and I did enjoy it. She's a damn queen. I was transported, I was thinking about our relationship and singing along. I need to stop being so harsh. Lol. So, to keep up with the same rating scheme, I'm giving it 4 stars.

Fantastic. It's nice to get an album in a genre/style I enjoy so much and Aretha is probably the Queen of it. So many hits and classics. Will revisit.

Men hade hon stått pall för pressen i Idol?

3.5/5 Great

Classic

Personally I prefer her album "Aretha Now" from the same year, but there are no faults to find with this work, except that the original mix isn't that great, even with the remastered version, some of the hard panning is a little hard on the ears when listening on headphones. Aretha kills it as always though. 3 foolish chain links out of 5 ⛓️⛓️⛓️

Klassík. Óaðfinnanleg.

Classic. Classic album Almost a no skip 5/5

Queen of Soul for a reason, amazing album.

50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong, But They Are, Because Aretha Was 50 Million Times Better Than Him

- "Queen of Soul" - I don't really have a taste for this era of soul - Stereo panning sounded cool! - Easy-listening - Almost feels gospel-like, although I didn't really listen to the lyrics. Favorite Song: Ain't No Way

Unbelievable voice. Decent cover of A Natural Women (though in my opinion not as good as King's), but got a bit bored through bits of the album

Some real gems here. I’m talking about (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Ain’t No Way. The latter even brought it up an entire star. I love women. Hehe :)

Welcome to Club 5 Star! This album is an absolute gem, and I can never get enough of it. As a man I will always proudly sing (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman whenever I’m feeling good. Then we’ve also got Chain of Fools, Ain’t No Way, People Get Ready, AND (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone. Mmmm. Delicious. The whole album is just so well done, you can feel Aretha’s presence through the album, and you quite literally cannot skip this album if you want to know how modern music evolved. Truly magnificent through and through.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I liked it a lot. Unfortunately on first listen the rest of the songs besides chain of fools and (You make me feel like) a natural woman kinda fell to the wayside and weren't super memorable. They were still good, but nothing I'd come back to. I'll give it another listen and see if that holds up though. Yeah on second listen I can appreciate the other songs more and they don't all blend together as much, but it doesn't bump it up to a 4 for me. There are so many 4's I regret giving. Pity me.

Eh, I can appreciate it but nothing really stood out to me, nothing I would return to. I’m not gonna write out Aretha Franklin entirely but she better come with the heat the next time I listen.

Obviously we all know “Chain of Fools” and “Natural Woman”, so I’m looking for substance between the hits. Also, a transgender organization just tried to cancel “Natural Woman” for saying it’s offensive. Then, people thought they were joking, but they said they were being serious. Then, after more backlash, they claimed they were a satire group. When stuff like that happens, I just try to picture a board room, where people vote on whether or not to forget what they stand for, so as to save their own skin. How spineless are these people? And how angry do people get when their colleagues act spineless? Wasn’t a huge fan of her “People Get Ready” cover. Actually it grew on me. I liked it after reslistening. All in all, it was just okay. Not my favorite Aretha album, but she’s a beast obviously. A Natural Woman is so so good.

La reina del soul. Un par de megahits. Un 4.

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, chain of fools.

I don’t think I ever listened to a full album by her before. Her voice is quite good, which I already knew.

Although I've never been a big Aretha fan, I'd guess this is the period that would best suit my tastes - early sixties would have ben too tinny and the seventies would have been too syrupy. The cluster of songs led off by Chain of Fools has a nice rootsy feel. I'll round up since she's the GOAT.

Rolling Stone Magazine recently listed the top 200 singers of all time, guess who was number 1? There’s no doubt that Aretha is a force of nature, possessing a truly powerful yet soulful voice. Lots of hits here, but it’s too bad that most of them are covers. If she wrote more of her own material she would have gotten more stars from me.

No notes.

An exceptionally great album with end-to-end hits. Niki Hoakey was a favorite discovery.

It's not that I ever forget Aretha has a killer voice, but somehow it still always manages to leave me stunned at just how awesome it is. Honestly it doesn't really matter how good or bad the songs are here, she gives a vocal masterclass that can stop you in your tracks and demands attention. I quite like most of the songs too, as a bonus. This is like drinking fine wine or gazing upon a Da Vinci.

Aretha was a great artist. The first song of this album "Chain of fools" is perfect. I like also "Since you've been gone".

Chain of Fools and a Natural Woman? Five stars.

Lady Soul indeed.

didn't even listen

PREFS : Chain of Fools, People Get Ready, Niki Hoeky, (You Make Me Feel) Like A Natural Woman, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Good To Me as I Am To You, Ain't No Way MOINS PREF : Money Won't Change You

Una de las mejores voces de soul: profunda y con sentimiento. A los amantes del género les entusiasmará

Awesome

Perfect

It was okay, not super big on this genre of music

Very good

Le Noël magique de Franklin

super fraîche

It was alright

The OG. So many classics from one album. Excellent vocal performance too.

Full of bangers. Had a lovely sing in my car.

She has an electrifying element to her sound that makes me enjoy all the songs. Just wish there was a little more variety throughout, but overall fantastic. 4/5

A brilliant album by the Queen of Soul, @ArethaFranklin. Released in January 1968. @Spotify then played a sublime selection of recommended songs when the album was finished.

The first time I heard of Aretha Franklin was probably Radio or in the Blues Brothers movies! Just great catchy music, very soulful, heartbreaking but also mending songs. Aretha had one, if not the best female voice in R&B/Soul music, she was one of the greatest! And this record is solid proof. Aretha's vocals are alone a worthy price of admission, but she's got a great band to back her up, and all instruments are mixed really good! Key tracks: Chain Of Fools, Money Won't Change You, People Get Ready, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Good To Me As I Am To You, Come Back Baby, Groovin', Ain't No Way. 8.5 out of 10

Literally every song is a banger.

Pari oikein kaunista biisiä ja tunnelmallista noin muuten. Ei ehkä yleensä sydän sulais näin hyvin, mutta joulu on vaan kerran vuodessa (ja sitä ei aina huomaa juodessa).

On sillä upee ääni. Muutaman kerran tuli putkeen kuunneltua ja ei se ainakaan huononu kertaakaan

9/10

9/10. Excellent stuff!

Damn this is good. 9/10

Just fantastic. I could listen to this all day - in fact I just did.

4.4/5

Absolute classic.

미간 피고 듣기 참 힘들다

Toda potência vocal do soul profundo.

Great voice, I’ve heard chain of fools before

Powerful Roman, enjoyed

Short 10 songs all great quality not my kinda thing but I’ll give it a 5/5.

Tiene unos temazos que me encantaron

What a powerhouse.

Stellar.

"Lady Soul" is the 12th studio album from Aretha Franklin and has both cover and original songs. Standing out are the backing vocals from The Sweet Inspirations including Cissy Houston and Aretha's two sisters, Carolyn and Erma Franklin. The album was a huge success on the Billboard charts: #1 in Black albums, #2 in Pop and #3 Jazz. Strong backing vocals cascading from The Sweet Inspirations begin the album in the hit "Chain of Fools." Joe South delivers a great 60's-sounding guitar. She's one of her boyfriend's many girlfriends and she needs to break that chain. The pace is slowed in Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready." Aretha delivers a more soulful and gospel-like version with a great finish. A song of hope for freedom and heaven. Side one ends with the incredible "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Women," written by Gerry Goffin, Carole King and Jerry Wexler. The piano. The strings and arrangement by Ralph Burns. The harmonies of Aretha and The Sweet Inspiration. The uplifting message of finding someone who makes you whole. Side two starts with two songs Aretha wrote; "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" was the third single and brings the groove. Horns. And, of course, Aretha brings it as well. Eric Clapton adds a bluesy/soulful guitar to "Good to Me As I Am to You." Horns. No backing vocals as Aretha ends wailing. She's given everything but gets nothing in return. The album ends with my favorite song on the album and one her sister, Carolyn, wrote "Ain't No Way." With the horns, an almost baroque pop ballad start. Maybe, Aretha's most emotional vocal performance. Soulful. Beautiful. How can I love you if you're tying my hands. Just a few weeks ago I had Aretha's 1967 album "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" which was I liked a lot. I like "Lady Soul" more. More soulful. Her voice fits the music perfectly. An album absolutely worth a listen and owning.

Na Sam Cooke heerlijk nog meer soul. Geweldig stemgeluid, lekkere muziek. Een liveplaat hiervan zou helemaal de naden uit je broek swingen. Getwijfeld tussen een 4 en een 5, omdat een paar nummers toch een beetje kapot zijn gedraaid op de radio. Maar omdat dit zoveel bezieling heeft (in contrast tot de gladde robotmuziek van Abba) verdient dit lekker toch een 5.

Een plaat zonder ups en down. Geen moment dat ik van mijn stoel veer. En geen moment dat ik mijn wenkbrouw optrek. Al eerder gezegd. Een album met een continue kwaliteit is sowieso een prestatie. Een beetje pech voor deze dame dat ze Sam Cooke opvolgde. Als ik die naast elkaar zet, leidt Sam met afstand. Al met al een hele ruime 3.

Er passeren nogal wat grootheden zo de laatste week met George, Elton, Bruce en Sam. Nu Aretha. Je hoort wel de grootsheid van haar stem, maar voor de verhalen achter de muziek zou ik toch een goede docu erover moeten bekijken om het misschien beter te kunnen begrijpen. Het is nu niet helemaal mijn verhaal als geprivileerde witte man. Maar zingen kon ze

What a voice

WONDERFUL

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, chain of fools.

qué preciosura por dios! 9/10

Enjoyed it!

What a voice, Lady Soul indeed! I do enjoy me some classic soul when I'm in the right mood for it and Aretha Franklin is among the best of her generation. The album is definitely shorter than it should be and a lot of the instrumentation is either a bit weak, or got lost in production. Those are my only criticisms though. Rounded down from 4.5

Meh. I recognized 3 songs, and another two (people get ready) that I had heard more popular versions of by other artists. Not sure if they were written by Aretha or if she actually had covers on this 1968 album? I also noticed some rough mixing of the vocals on a few tracks. Not the best recording. But her voice was outstanding and she is the “Queen of Soul” for a reason.

For those who didn't get how great she was. For those who didn't understand the fuss. It's all here. Chain of Fools at the open is absolutely killer.

This album just flies by, didn't even stop it when it restarted just so I could hear Chain of Fools a second time. Natural Woman, Groovin, People Get Ready (but not my favourite version) ...this album is top of the line.

Beautiful

I respect, but really don't enjoy this album.

When the album started I was gonna be one of those people going against the pack, as with the first couple songs I didn't understand the more than four star average rating, but as the album went on I understood it a whole lot more, especially the last couple songs. Obviously Franklin's voice is magnificent, but as the album went on instruments came in to compliment the voice rather than just copy it and it became a nuch fuller album. Not perfect because of those first few songs, but I do get it now.

My introduction to Aretha was as Matt Guitar Murphy's husband in The Blues Brothers. And then she had that huge hit a few years later with "Freeway Of Love". It wasn't until she performed duets with George Michael and Annie Lennox that I realized that she was much more than a sassy diner waitress who sassed Jake and Elwood Blues for ordering four fried chickens, dry white toast and a Coke. If only I would have just started with this landmark album. No wonder Belushi, Aykroyd, Lennox, Michael and millions others went out of their way to honor the one and only Queen of Soul. This is as good as it gets right here kids.

Aretha is cool and badass.

Great soul album, great voice