For her first album of the ‘70s, Aretha threw in a few surprises. She leaned more heavily on pop songwriters here, utilizing her interpretive skills to claim some of their songs as her own.

The results are mixed, with some recordings reinventing familiar tunes in ways that are surprising and invigorating, while others just sound a bit odd. She didn’t rely on her sisters for input here, as they were busy making records of their own (and Aretha did not appreciate what she saw as competition), and she only wrote one for herself, although it is one of her best.

Featured Tracks:                                   

Son of a Preacher Man

The Weight

Baby I Love You - Erma Franklin

Piece of My Heart – Erma Franklin

I Don’t Want to Lose You – Carolyn Franklin

Boxer – Carolyn Franklin

Share Your Love with Me 

Eleanor Rigby

Let It Be

The Dark End of the Street

This Girl’s in Love with You

Call Me