To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s record deal with Atlantic Records, a remastered LP of Aretha classics has been released. The main difference? They feature an extra musical coating from the glorious Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, A Brand New Me will whet audience appetites prior to the release of Aretha’s final studio album later this year.
To be frank, A Brand New Me did not need to be produced. The original Aretha songs are fantastic in their own right and do not need reworking. However, the orchestral flash provided by the RPO does offer a fascinating listening experience. The impact certainly varies from song to song. On some numbers (‘Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)’, ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’), the RPO contribution feels either perfunctory or negligible (yet never offensive). On others, the overlay is more distinct. Does it enhance the songs? Not necessarily. But it is nonetheless refreshing to hear something new in these 40+ year old songs so deeply etched into the imagination of the soul music fan. The album is largely characterised by avant-garde intros and outros, with some true standouts. The strings and orchestration on ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’ are dazzling, as are the soaring horns on ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’. The moody and almost ominous string section which seamlessly flows into ‘Think’ is also genius.
Ultimately, A Brand New Me has the feel of a slightly jazzed up ‘greatest hits’ collection. But that isn’t a problem when the songs are so sublime. Take ‘Natural Woman’, for example – a song joyously celebrating a woman’s love for her man – with its stylised backing vocals and sweeping ‘oh baby what you done to me?’ bridge. Or the scorching feminist anthem ‘Respect’, transformed from the Otis Redding template, with its iconic ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T’ breakdown. For all the lush RPO arrangements, the best instrument on the album is undeniably Aretha’s legendary voice. She effortlessly floats in the opening verses of ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’, caresses each lyric on ‘Until You Come Back To Me’, and piercingly belts out the climax of ‘People Get Ready’. The expression, nuance, and power in her voice is like no other.
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The Queen of Soul indeed.
Grade: A+
(Image copyright: Rhino Atlantic)
