Aretha Sings the Blues:
Historical background and talent aside this album grips your very soul from track to track. The lyrics are haunting throughout and convey the creativity and melancholy of the blues as sung by a master. Aretha's passionate vocals bring the listener into the song and create an ambiance of sorrow and heartache. The two opening tracks, "Drinking Again" and "Today I Sing the Blues" set the pace for the album and start at the bottom of the well. A blues so sad you don't think you can escape. However, like all blues music you find yourself smiling and tapping your feet as the images and sounds of the band transcend your feelings of hopelessness. Like in "Muddy Water" it is clear the message is, that no matter how bad it gets, you can't the best of me. Or in"Nobody Knows the Way I Feel this Morning" there is a sense of strength of spirit in both the pace and energy of the music and in Aretha's voice that cannot be downtrodden. As if singing about her pain makes it all go away and the louder and more passionate her voice the farther her troubles will fade away.
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