ARETHA FRANKLIN Vinilo y CD

Review: When Aretha Franklin passed away in August 2018, the world lost the Queen of Soul, acknowledged as the foremost female singer of her generation, selling over 75 million records over the course of her glittering career. With the knowledge that Franklin’s instantly-recognisable voice would never grace a new recording ever again, the sadness felt by soul fans at the time was acute. So it is with great finesse that History Of Soul presents yet another unheard Aretha live set, never before heard on a commercial LP. With pride, they boast that the recordings, made in a TV studio in Cologne during her first European tour in 1968, waft from the heart of soul's Golden Age.

Review: Warner Bros Motion Picture Sparkle has an essential soundtrack, all thanks to the work of two soul legends in Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield. In the film itself, it was the movie's main stars Irene Cara and Lonette McKee who mostly sang the tunes but this recording features the Queen of Soul Aretha singing them at Curtis's Curtom studio in Chicago. He composed and produced all the tunes and here they are pressed onto sealer vinyl for the first time since they were first released. It's a feel good selection whether or not you have seen the film.