|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
 Love Those Covers! Nov 08, 2008
I always look forward to covers by my favorite artists. They can be disastrous, or they can breathe new life into songs and produce something very different, especially when the songs vary significantly from their normal repertoire. Thank goodness most of Aretha's covers work. Some memorable ones from other albums include "A Change Is Gonna Come", "The Thrill Is Gone", "Border Song", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Let It Be" and "Oh Me Oh My". This album is no exception. She handles with ease songs that I associate with other artists. The Stones' "Satisfaction" gets the full Franklin treatment, with R&B piano and improvised lyrics. As for "You Are My Sunshine", I never thought it could sound like "Chain of Fools", but it does, after a long, dramatic intro. Aretha's version of "96 Tears", the one-hit wonder by ? and The Mysterians, bears little relation to the original, but it works as an Aretha track. "That's Life" is pretty close to Sinatra's version - as close as Aretha can get, anyway. Her personal stamp is unmistakable, of course.
The remaining material is what we traditionally associate with Aretha. There are three ballads of pleading and heartache: "Never Let Me Go", "Prove It" and "I Wonder". Two tracks are slow and bluesy: "Night Life" has beautiful string accompaniment (as do other tracks), while "Going Down Slow" is dominated by horns and piano. And for confident, upbeat numbers, we hear "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)" and the aggressively sexy hit of the album, "Baby, I Love You".
So, is it a big deal? Well, I admit to bias in her favor, but to me it's just another 5-star album in the career of the greatest soul singer in the history of the world, that's all.
 three and a half stars for this third followup Oct 09, 2008
Compared to Aretha Franklin's landmark 60's epics, such as her smashing debut "I Never Loved a Man" and her equally stunning "Lady Soul," "Aretha Now" and "Soul '69" albums, "Aretha Arrives" is somewhat underwhelming, though not without its merits. The album has many of the same pulsating trademarks like the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, fierce backup singing and Franklin's own remarkable piano playing, but some of the material is undistinguished and unworthy of her attention ("96 Tears," "I Wonder"). And one or two other songs simply miss the mark (e.g. her cover version of Mick Jagger's "Satisfaction"). Still, there is a lot to like about "Aretha Arrives." "Never Let Me Go" and "Prove It" are dazzling ballads that keep you hanging on to every word, while "Night Life" and "Going Down Slow" and "Baby I Love You" showcase Franklin's nearly matchless skills as a low-down blues singer. Overall, "Aretha Arrives" may not be among Franklin's VERY best, but--like most of her output--it is still definitely worth a listen.
A Must Have LP Mar 12, 2008
I have the original Atlantic LP which is in great condition, but I found the reissued LP in NYC and I was amazed at the sound of the album. I just had to buy it and to add to my many vinyl collections. I would definitely recommend buying it if you're a vinyl fan such as myself. Great job Sundazed.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Worth having Jun 01, 2005
Although Aretha's second album is not one of my favorites, ARETHA ARRIVES is worth having. Some of the soul ballads, such as "Never Let Me Go" and "I Wonder, don't have the same force and soulfulness that really gets one feeling as those on the albums Soul 69 and I Never Loved a Man albums. However, on this album is also one of Aretha's best-ever covers--"Going Down Slow." It's refreshing that it's not a love ballad, but about sin and "failing." Considering Aretha's heritage in the Church, the song has all the more weight. The final cry at the end runs straight through the body. Of course on the album there is the sexy, aggressive hit, "Baby, I Love You." The other tracks on the album are good, such as the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and Sinatra's "That's Life," even if they don't let Aretha's talent shine through as brilliantly as some of her other renditions of other artists' work.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Finally Got To Hear this classic! Nov 10, 2004
I own the "Queen of Soul" boxed set & the inclusions from "Aretha Arrives" only whetted my appetite to hear the tracks which were left off.
Wow! Of course, we get the great "Baby I Love You" which has been unfairly overlooked on Oldies Radio who have just about worn out "Respect" & "Think". Her cover of "That's Life" is incredible. Like her Soul Brother, Otis Redding, she tears through "Satisfaction" which sounds like it was tailor made for her. "Prove It" is a wonderful ballad which deserves to be heard. To me, it surpasses "Natural Woman", maybe because radio has played "Natural Woman" to death. "Never Let Me Go" is a keeper as well!
All the tracks are fine, but for some reason the album doesn't come off as perfect to me which explains my 4 star rating.
Please don't hate me for finding a copy of this CD gem for $2 at my local Used CD Store. I'm thankful for the well-intentioned, but clueless young people who work there & tossed this in their budget bin. I have found other gems there too!
Worth checking out, especially if you aren't up for shelling out big bucks for the boxed set.
|
| | |
