Album of the Day

Aretha Franklin’s remarkable string of albums in the latter half of the 1960s might have left SPIRIT IN THE DARK in the shadows on release, but hindsight reveals its many strengths. Less brassy and more personal than previous collections - Franklin’s marriage was at its end - the 1970 collection features five Aretha originals including the title track (one of two R&B hits here, the other being “Don't Play That Song (You Lied)”). They’re paired with an eclectic selection of covers reinvented by the performer with a little help from such friends as guitarists Duane Allman and Cornell Dupree, backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Produced by Atlantic Records’ Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler, SPIRIT IN THE DARK is another classic from the Queen of Soul.