This is a good album by a singer who obviously came up through gospel singing channels. She has a big, strong voice, gets a lot of feeling into her singing, and on the quicker tunes such as the opening track she exhibits a real ability to swing. She also drives the beat along on More, Once In A Lifetime and her very excellent version of If I Had A Hammer. Here and on Without The One she also plays the very basic piano. Another good track is Today I Love Ev’rybody, a little known tune with good lyrics by Harold Arlen and Dorothy Fields, which Miss Franklin sings with great gusto. She can also get to grips with the blues, as proved here by Muddy Water and the declamatory Trouble In Mind.
The ballads are nowhere such a success, for she hasn’t that type of voice. It is to be hoped that in future she will be allowed to choose material completely suited to her gospel-flavoured singing – if she is, then I am sure we shall have another major jazz singer in our midst.
Discography
This Could Be The Start Of Something; Once In A Lifetime; Misty; More; There Is No Greater Love; Muddy Water (17¼ min) – If I Had A Hammer; Impossible; Today I Love Ev’rybody; Without The One You Love; Trouble In Mind; Love For Sale (18 min)
Aretha Franklin (vcl/p); Teddy Harris (p); Kenny Burrell (g); James ‘Beans’ Richardson (bs); Hundel Butts (d).
(CBS BPG 62566 12inLP 32s. 2d.)
