This show covers material from Aretha’s 3rd and 4th albums with Columbia Records.

Although this material never managed to reach the mainstream, and it is obvious that there was no set stylistic direction, I think you’ll find that Aretha’s talent is more than enough to make it worthwhile to hear her early recordings.

Maybe not all of them would be labelled as ‘classic’, but they strongly suggest that she was on her way to becoming a legendary talent, once the label decided to present her as a jazz artist, or a soul artist, or a gospel artist, or a pop confection, rather than all of the above simultaneously. 

Featured tracks include:

I Surrender, Dear

Just for a Thrill

God Bless the Child

Without the One You Love

Try a Little Tenderness

Don’t Cry, Baby

Skylark

For All We Know

Where Are You

Laughing on the Outside

Solitude