A Rose is Still a Rose

by

Aretha Franklin

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Many people have mixed feelings about this album, both hardcore fans and people that just liked the title track. The fact is that this album is a solid example of late '90s R&B, with Aretha in good voice on virtually every cut. Let's look at each one in order.

1) The title track, produced by the amazing Lauryn Hill, stands on its own merits. I personally don't feel it's the most comfortable song for Aretha to sing, but it's a great number nonetheless.

2) Never Gonna Leave You Again - mellow and low-key, with a very laid-back beat. Nothing overly special, but pleasant to listen to.

3) In Case You Forgot - A typical Aretha song, in the good sense. Strong production values, with a message to her suitor that he should remember how good she's been to him.

4) Here We Go Again - watch out Janet: 'Ree sampled Change's "The Glow Of Love" 2 years before you did on this one. Funky little groove that was a minor hit for Aretha.

5) Every Lil' Bit Hurts - Another mainstream R&B number about the heartaches of love. Not bad but the Queen's voice is a little frayed on some of the higher notes.

6) In The Morning - One of my favorites. She made up for not being in top voice on the previous track. Her voice is clear as a bell, with some 1970's notes coming through. The song itself is solid and with proper marketing could have been a hit or the centerpiece for a movie soundtrack.

7) I'll Dip - I'll pass. I'm a hardcore Aretha fan but I question whether this song should have made the final cut. Good beat, but the arrangement is wrong for Aretha and she sounds quite uncomfortable in singing it.

8) How Many Times - Very classic radio ballad that Aretha puts her heart into and it shows. Solid arrangement that sounds just a little '80's but this song will stand the test of time. One of the albums's best cuts.

9) Watch My Back - Again, I love Aretha more than the casual fan, but let's face it: she's not 20-something anymore, and she shouldn't use a lot of jargon and slang as though she is. This song is full of this type of thing, some of which you can't even understand. Definitely not up to Ree's standards.

10) Love Pang - this song is worth the price of the CD alone. With an outstanding production by Michael J. Powell, Aretha makes you feel how good SHE feels after an intimate night with her lover. Just like the "In The Morning" track, her voice is without peer and she hits some notes she hadn't come near in years. This cut could have easily come from the "Sparkle" album if that gives you an idea of the concept of it. Lush and luxurious.

11) The Woman - an Aretha-written grand finale that starts out slightly churchy and ends with a lounge-club feel with some scats between her ad-libs.

Solid effort by the Queen.

Aretha is considered as the Queen of Soul: a title that I disagree with as there are some other contemporaries who sound if not as good as then better than Ree like Patti LaBelle but that is a whole nother story. On Aretha's latest studio effort for Arista Records, she delves into what was contemporary R&B as well as Adult Contemporary material as she does have contributions producing-wise from P. Diddy and Lauren Hill. The hit single, title track is one of those smooth grooves that just shows that she still got it. The best ballad on the disc is probably Every Lil Bit Hurts which Aretha truly and thoroughly works. There also is a dance, mild disco song HERE WE GO AGAIN which is an uptempo and has Aretha showing that she can do it just as good as these other young singers. Overall, the CD is good but the vocals are a different story. It sounds as if she is singing in a falsetto or too high register instead of her rich and unique regular alto voice which creates an annoying and strained sound. Aretham youre an alto not a soprano. Let it go. As you may notice on some of her earlier 90s work, she sings more in her natural voice.

A good hit for Aretha just somewhat annoying vocals.