Granted there are some terrific songs here. But the sound quality is atrocious. There are many other, newer Columbia Records compilations out there with most all these same songs on them. Case in point - the songs taken from "YEAH! ARETHA LIVE WITH HER QUARTET" ( Muddy Water, Trouble in Mind, Without the One You Love ) all have audience chatter and applause on them. We now know that these tracks were not recorded live, that this audience noise was dubbed in to give the album a intimate "supper club" type feel. It doesn't serve the songs well, and they just don't sound that good compared to the newer remastered versions widely available elsewhere. Also, the versions of Today I Sing the Blues and Evil Gal Blues are abominations. The original backing tracks were overdubbed after Aretha left Columbia Records with organs and vocals not found on the original versions. Again, I stress, these songs are great . Aretha Franklin began her professional recording career cutting lots of fabulous and funky Jazz and Blues sides, many of which are showcased here. But do yourself a favour, if you want to hear them, and buy The Queen in Waiting, or Jazz to Soul, or the Early Years. You'll thank me.

I believe this album deserves to be taken more seriously than it is. It is generally believed that Aretha only found her sound when she started recording for Atlantic, but this album proves that not to be the case. This is generally a more subdued Aretha than the one who will sing, say, "Chain of Fools," but an Aretha who can be still powerful. One example is her cover of the Sinatra song, "Without the One You Love." When she sings, "those picnics at the beach, when love was new," you feel your heart break. The album also showcases Aretha displaying some of her vocal acrobatics in "Maybe I'm A Fool." Most of the tracks stand out in their own way. This is the type of CD that one wants to sit back and listen to with a glass of wine (even if you don't drink like me, at least hold the glass) during a rainy night with the lights turned off.

We all know that the Queen of Soul can sing whatever she wants to -- she put the "S" in soul, the testify in gospel, the snap in pop, and on this CD she teaches a course on the subject of the Blues. From the first note on "Drinking Again" on through to the last refrain in "Maybe I'm A Fool", Ms. Ree-Ree will kindly sing, moan, coo, shout, and cry her way straight to your soul.

There just isn't a bad cut on this CD. However, your favorite song will probably depend upon your particular frame of mind and spirit when you listen to these selections. Look out for the sparkling "Without the One You Love" with Aretha featured on the piano and singing live. Here she allows you in her audience, but heartbreak is the price of admission. . . .listen to the lyrics - - "one telephone call, you know that you ought to write me one line or so, all of these can mean a world of difference/just how much you'll never Ever EVER know."

Long live the Queen.

Whoever talked her into doing the bubble gum, oh excuse me, soul stuff that labeled her carreer should be stapped to a chair and forced to listen to Archie Bell and the Turrells for a thousand years. My god, what an elegant blues singer!

In my humble opinion, there is no other woman on earth who can sing the blues or R&B like Aretha Franklin. The whole CD is fantastic but I would buy it even just for her rendition of "Every Day I Sing The Blues".