Aretha Franklin: Live at Park West

Rating:
Summary: Aint no way.
Review: Aretha Franklin is an erratic genius, and this is not one of her better moments. Even on her great live albums - "Live at Filmore West" and "Amazing Grace" you don't get the same voice you get in the studio. She's just not as good sounding live because essentially, she's a studio artist. Something happened to her voice in the early 80's. It lost its focus, it became hoarse and dry sounding. One minute she sounded fine (The Blues Brothes) and the next minute she was working with Luther Vandross. Please! After this time, much of her incredible range deserted her from time to time, and this is one of them. She really struggles through many of these numbers, avoiding high notes, singing things down an octave, rushing through passages. Mostly, she seems to not even want to be on stage. The band is too loud and unsypathetic, and she doesn't even touch the piano. Of course, no body can take away from her the incredible rhythmic genius and the phrasing. There is still enourmous pleasure to be had from seeing these in action, but the voice, her amazing instrument is not in evidence here. It's too easy to say everything she does is 'amazing'. Aretha fans are terrified to admit that her really creative period, the window of genius when all her gifts came together in an incredible marriage, lasted only 3 years or so. So what, I say. She is untouchable as a singer. Also as an arranger, a producer and a hugely underrated piano player. Why pretend this is good? Don't settle for less, just buy the good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Aint no way.
Review: Aretha Franklin is an erratic genius, and this is not one of her better moments. Even on her great live albums - "Live at Filmore West" and "Amazing Grace" you don't get the same voice you get in the studio. She's just not as good sounding live because essentially, she's a studio artist. Something happened to her voice in the early 80's. It lost its focus, it became hoarse and dry sounding. One minute she sounded fine (The Blues Brothes) and the next minute she was working with Luther Vandross. Please! After this time, much of her incredible range deserted her from time to time, and this is one of them. She really struggles through many of these numbers, avoiding high notes, singing things down an octave, rushing through passages. Mostly, she seems to not even want to be on stage. The band is too loud and unsypathetic, and she doesn't even touch the piano. Of course, no body can take away from her the incredible rhythmic genius and the phrasing. There is still enourmous pleasure to be had from seeing these in action, but the voice, her amazing instrument is not in evidence here. It's too easy to say everything she does is 'amazing'. Aretha fans are terrified to admit that her really creative period, the window of genius when all her gifts came together in an incredible marriage, lasted only 3 years or so. So what, I say. She is untouchable as a singer. Also as an arranger, a producer and a hugely underrated piano player. Why pretend this is good? Don't settle for less, just buy the good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: The Queen of Soul in a great concert playing her top hits