I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

This album does not generate as much excitement in me as I would like, or as much as I would have suspected based on the killer opening track. Beyond Respect there are a lot of pleasant soul sounds from a vocal powerhouse but they are not as iconic or memorable as I would expect given Aretha Franklin’s level of fame and adoration. She’s cool though and I could see this album as being a bit of a leveller - it would be hard to imagine someone who would object to this being put on at the beginning of a party, or when it's winding down.

it’s boring but ok

Aretha was a generational talent. Also liked the backing vocals.

Even if this record was “Respect” and then Aretha Franklin farting this would be a 5.

Un album entretenido, bonita produccion, buenas letras, me gusto pero creo no es lo que escucharia

She is the greatest of all time tbh, this is probably a 5 but after first listen I was feeling her other record in the list a bit more

goated

Beautiful sounding album. I didn't mind the backing vocals like some people seemed to. Not all the songs are absolute bangers.

Well, classic

Excellent. I'm not really an expert when it comes to this style but I enjoyed this one a lot. It's either 4 or 5 stars. I liked "Respect" and "A change is gonna come".

Better than Coldplay

Big voice, average choons.

Jamais écouté avant

Rien que pour "Respect", et la performance vocale époustouflante d'Aretha Franklin, et album mérite sa place dans l'histoire. Son principal défaut ? Après avoir atteint de tels sommets en ouverture, le reste de la tracklist a bien du mal à s'imposer, au point de finir par sembler un peu secondaire...

Top : Respect
Flop : Baby, Baby, Baby

not my style, men det er lækkert at lytte til

lægger ekstremt godt ud, og derefter bliver jeg lidt tabt.

3.5

If I say what I think, I'll be suspended for six months.

Everyone loves respect, both the song on this album as well as the concept. That's the one song I knew before going into this record. And of course I love it, who doesn't? It's a beautiful song. This record is full of beautiful songs, favorites of mine being Respect, the titular track, as well as Dr. Feelgood. That song made me laugh out loud, when she starts talking about how she doesn't have as much time for socializing, she's got to get back to her...appointment.

Other than that, unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on this record. Some people said it's too slow, and that's an assessment I generally agree with. But more than that, I found it predictable. I was hoping that this record took more chances, either vocally or instrumentally. Maybe I've been spoiled by some of the other soul I've listened to, like that 12-minute epic Walk On By from Isaac Hayes. But I found myself hoping that more songs here surprised. It's pleasant, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't find it exciting like I wanted.

Maybe it's because I listened on the drive to work, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I was hoping something would jolt me awake.

r.e.s.p.e.c.t

Everyone says she has an incredible voice. And she does I suppose.
But the music on this album doesn't really do anything for me. It's pleasant. And a recognise the talent. But <shrugs>.

This record made me understand how soul is the "secular" form of gospel music. The songs are slower than "Lady Soul" which lets Aretha's emotive signing shine through.

We don't need to put R-E-S-P-E-C-T on her name. She's already regarded as one of if not the greatest vocalist of the twentieth century. Her uncanny power comes from the fact that she's as effortless as Sam Cooke & just as effortful as Otis Redding. In other words, she renders the act of trying an easy-breezy task: giving your all, & straining as you do, has never been so smooth or so simple. Aretha's only weakness as an artist is that she didn't always know how to curate a record. That is, her song selection could fall short. W/ this classic, however, she never misses. My favorites are 'Baby, Baby, Baby' & 'Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,' but you can't go wrong w/ any cut here. The quintessence of vocal talent is & will always be Aretha.

I was expecting to give this a 3 or 4, but it’s actually a 5 for me.