A fresh, spirited take on the music of a living legend.

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The House That Soul Built was fortunate enough to attend the penultimate night of the March 2018 residency of Aretha: Soul Diva at South London’s Hideaway. Curated by Hideaway’s musical director Janette Mason, Aretha: Soul Diva celebrates the music of the Queen of Soul.

In my experience, tributes tend to fall into three main categories. There are tributes which attempt to replicate the original recordings as closely as possible with sloppy (at times terrible) execution. There are those which stick closely to the original templates but which ‘add value’ through high quality musicianship. And there are those which combine technical precision with playful innovation. Aretha: Soul Diva falls into the latter category.

With a setlist of 18 songs, it was inevitable that some choice Aretha recordings would be omitted. Personally, I would have swapped the 1985 hit ‘Freeway Of Love’ for ‘The Weight’, recorded by Aretha in 1969. Yet it would be impossible to accommodate the personal tastes of every Aretha fan. While defining songs such as ‘Respect’, ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’, and ‘Think’ made an appearance, it was refreshing to hear oft-neglected numbers such as ‘Rough Lover’, ‘(It’s Just) Your Love’, and ‘The House That Jack Built’ (where this website’s name derives from) included in the set.

It was also pleasing to hear Mason and the band toy with the original arrangements. ‘The House That Jack Built’ was slowed down and performed with extra bounce, leading to a storming climax. ‘Baby I Love You’, a hit for Aretha in 1967, was turned into a swampy, funky number which could have been a Rufus original. ‘Chain of Fools’ was transformed into a ruminating slow-jam, while ‘Angel’ was delivered as a stripped-down piano ballad.

Mary Pearce and Lily Dior shared lead vocals for the evening . Pearce, who has toured with the likes of Chaka Khan and Beverley Knight, married effortless power with nuance and control. The top notes in ‘The House That Jack Built’ and ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’ were picked off with almost military precision, while ‘(It’s Just) Your Love’ was approached with a sultry skillfulness. Dior, an Australian singer-songwriter, brought a throaty belt and delicious low tones to the set. On ‘Angel’, a ballad from Aretha’s Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) album, Dior displayed impeccable pitch and lilting vocals. Pearce and Dior also joined forces for a scorching rendition of ‘Rock Steady’.

And finally, the all-star band: Dave Ital on electric guitar, Simon Little on bass, Gabriel Garrick on trumpet, Alam Nathoo on saxophone, Rod Youngs on drums, and Mason on keys. Garrick and Nathoo provided a brightness and (appropriate) shrillness to the set, while Ital and Little brought out the innate funk within Aretha’s music. Youngs gave teasing drum solos, while Mason was mellifluous on keys and in total command of the set.

Check out the clips below from the previous Aretha: Soul Diva residency.

Clips from the June 2017 Aretha: Soul Diva event

(Image taken from Hideaway website)