ideologyhunter
Contributor
One thing about Aretha that tells you that the praise isn't overdone: you can go deep into her discography, ignore all the obvious hits and signature numbers, and come up with bushels of funky, one-of-a-kind masterworks that could have been radio hits if they hadn't come out side by side with her blockbuster hits. Very much like Otis.
Here are my nominations for underplayed Aretha cuts that are filled with her essence:
"It Ain't Fair" -- from This Girl's in Love with You, and featuring Duane Allman's slide guitar. Very bluesy, basic, "greasy" as Aretha liked to say
"Pullin'" and "Try Matty's" off the Spirit in the Dark LP. This record had her hit "Don't Play That Song" and the miraculous title track, but I come back to these two tracks for extra helpings of pure Southern soul. "Pullin'" in particular has that surging beat with Aretha's piano leading the band. It should've charted with the rock hits of '70. "Try Matty's" is just as good and has an upbeat lyric about a neighborhood joint where you can get yourself back on track. (I think Aretha wrote both these songs.)
"Oh Me Oh My", off Young Gifted and Black. I love Dusty Springfield, but Aretha cut her on this one.
"If You Don't Think", off Let Me in Your Life. Simply a wonderful love song, again infused with Ree's piano playing and a vocal that must come close to displaying her entire range. Artful lyrics that circle around and resolve themselves in the last chorus. This song should be a standard, but it requires an exceptional voice to pull it off. Aretha wrote it.
"I Love Every Little Thing About You", off the generally disparaged With Everything I Feel in Me. Put this one on your car player and let it rip as you drive around town. Play it loud. Everyone should hear it. A relaxed, joyful, playful song that will brighten your mood and demand a replay. (My mother, who knew nothing about soul music and considered most of my music to be extreme and abrasive and 'honky tonk', as she put it, once came into the room as this one started and said excitedly, "Who is that singing? What is that song?" It is really that good and that instantly captivating.) I never understood why Atlantic didn't put it on any of their Aretha collections. No, it didn't have chart action (and may not have been a single) but it's the catchiest thing on that album.
"If She Don't Want Your Lovin" off Jump To It. Now we're into an era where I don't find that many exciting Aretha cuts. Why oh why didn't she ever do a record with a stripped-down soul band in the last 40 years? But this cut burns down the house -- Aretha never lost it, even when her producers put her in (ugh) "contemporary" settings.
There are more, lots more. I've been playing Aretha since the 8-track days. If I have to drive at night, and I want something jazzy or smoky to listen to, there's a short list -- Aretha, maybe Gene Ammons, Booker Ervin, Otis Redding, Etta James -- she's joined up with the pantheon. Long live the Queen.
Here are my nominations for underplayed Aretha cuts that are filled with her essence:
"It Ain't Fair" -- from This Girl's in Love with You, and featuring Duane Allman's slide guitar. Very bluesy, basic, "greasy" as Aretha liked to say
"Pullin'" and "Try Matty's" off the Spirit in the Dark LP. This record had her hit "Don't Play That Song" and the miraculous title track, but I come back to these two tracks for extra helpings of pure Southern soul. "Pullin'" in particular has that surging beat with Aretha's piano leading the band. It should've charted with the rock hits of '70. "Try Matty's" is just as good and has an upbeat lyric about a neighborhood joint where you can get yourself back on track. (I think Aretha wrote both these songs.)
"Oh Me Oh My", off Young Gifted and Black. I love Dusty Springfield, but Aretha cut her on this one.
"If You Don't Think", off Let Me in Your Life. Simply a wonderful love song, again infused with Ree's piano playing and a vocal that must come close to displaying her entire range. Artful lyrics that circle around and resolve themselves in the last chorus. This song should be a standard, but it requires an exceptional voice to pull it off. Aretha wrote it.
"I Love Every Little Thing About You", off the generally disparaged With Everything I Feel in Me. Put this one on your car player and let it rip as you drive around town. Play it loud. Everyone should hear it. A relaxed, joyful, playful song that will brighten your mood and demand a replay. (My mother, who knew nothing about soul music and considered most of my music to be extreme and abrasive and 'honky tonk', as she put it, once came into the room as this one started and said excitedly, "Who is that singing? What is that song?" It is really that good and that instantly captivating.) I never understood why Atlantic didn't put it on any of their Aretha collections. No, it didn't have chart action (and may not have been a single) but it's the catchiest thing on that album.
"If She Don't Want Your Lovin" off Jump To It. Now we're into an era where I don't find that many exciting Aretha cuts. Why oh why didn't she ever do a record with a stripped-down soul band in the last 40 years? But this cut burns down the house -- Aretha never lost it, even when her producers put her in (ugh) "contemporary" settings.
There are more, lots more. I've been playing Aretha since the 8-track days. If I have to drive at night, and I want something jazzy or smoky to listen to, there's a short list -- Aretha, maybe Gene Ammons, Booker Ervin, Otis Redding, Etta James -- she's joined up with the pantheon. Long live the Queen.