Imagine. The House That Soul Built has been contacted by Aretha Franklin’s estate to spearhead a tribute to the late Queen of Soul. The location is London. The budget is unlimited. The only caveat? The line-up has to be comprised of British soul musicians, or artists currently residing in the UK. Have a read of our suggestions below!
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Michelle John – ‘Sparkle’
This lush Curtis Mayfield-produced ballad has been overlooked in the litany of Aretha Franklin tributes which took place after the Queen’s passing. It is angelic in construction, with lilting verses and a soaring chorus, buoyed by soulful backing vocals. It is perfectly suited to the voice of Michelle John, a prominent vocalist in the London soul circuit. Watch her performance of ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ below where she uses her feathery soft voice before building towards some earth-shaking power.
Mica Paris – ‘Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)’
Despite being deemed one of Aretha’s commercial disappointments, the Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) album had several choice cuts. One of them is the title track, a pulsating (and slightly psychedelic) gospel-funk stormer. By its climax, Aretha is squalling and riffing playfully. British soul champion Mica Paris has the gospel-oriented delivery and rasp to nail this number. Check out her spellbinding performance of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ below. Read more about Mica here.
Tony Momrelle – ‘Skylark’
One of the highlights of Aretha’s career at Columbia Records was her rendering of jazz standard ‘Skylark’. In a conversation between Sarah Vaughan and Etta James, recorded in David Ritz’ biography of the Queen of Soul, Vaughan admitted that would never perform the song again after hearing Aretha’s rendition. It would be a fine choice for Tony Momrelle – of Incognito and Reel People – who has buttery vocals evoking his idols Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder.
Kimberly Nichole – ‘Rough Lover’
Rock ballerina Kimberly Nichole is known for strutting, howling, and exploding on stage – bringing danger and excitement in spades. Hence, she would surely spit pure fire on ‘Rough Lover’ – a bluesy cut from The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962) album.
Tawiah – ‘A Rose Is Still A Rose’
Alternative neo-soul artist Tawiah has a penchant for combining socially-conscious lyrics with contemporary yet soulful production and delivery. This Lauryn Hill-penned tune carries a message of warm reassurance (‘baby girl, you hold the power‘) that Tawiah could wrap her voice and phrasing around.
Incognito – ‘Jump To It’
It would be fascinating to hear acid-jazz pioneers Incognito add their texture, musicality, and signature horn section to this comeback song for the Queen.
(Image sourced via Google Images’ ‘Labelled for Reuse’ function)
