Aretha Franklin: Aretha Arrives: CD

In 1967 Aretha Franklin, arguably the greatest singer of the twentieth century , was at the height of her powers , and this shows by the way she turns a ragbag collection of songs into a soul masterpiece. The album starts off with a storming cover of "Satisfaction" (Mick Jagger & Richards), and then see's Aretha testifying on the Ray Charles classic "You Are My Sunshine". Two stunning ballads "Never Let Me Go", and "Prove It" (as good as anything she has ever recorded) bookend the old garage band hit "96 Tears". Willie Nelson's "Night Life", is another highlight, as it allows Aretha to give a masterly blues interpretation of the song. Side two starts off with a glorious version of Frank Sinatra`s "That`s Life", and is followed by the majestic deep soul ballad "I Wonder". Aretha then ups the tempo on her sister`s "Ain't Nobody! ( Gonna Turn Me Around )", which leads into the old Howling Wolf classic "Going Down Slow", on this song Aretha's singing and the performance of the band are