News

This summer, music lovers across the world mourned the loss of one of the most renowned vocalists to ever grace the planet:  Aretha Franklin.  Now, Rhino U.K. has announced a new collection that celebrates the music icon’s reign, entitled The Queen of Soul.  Arriving on November 23 to CD and digital, the two-disc set pairs some of Aretha’s classic Atlantic sides with recent symphonic versions that feature The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The first disc covers the Atlantic territory, boasting 18 of Franklin’s best-known songs.  Among them are six #1 R&B hits–“I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” “Baby I Love You,” “Chain Of Fools,” “Think,” “Don’t Play That Song,” and “Respect”–plus her reinterpretations of “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and two holiday songs from This Christmas.  Among them is the new, solo piano version of “Silent Night,” which Rhino U.S. recently previewed via digital services to tie in with their upcoming vinyl reissue of the seasonal album.

The second disc collects all fourteen of the recent reimagined orchestral versions from the 2017 collection A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, plus a previously unreleased orchestral arrangement of “Think,” presented as a duet with British singer Beverley Knight.

The collection will be released on CD and digital on November 23.  In the meantime, check out the full track list and pre-order links below.

Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul (Rhino U.K., 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD)

CD 1

1. Respect
2. Chain of Fools
3. Think
4. Rock Steady
5. Baby, I Love You
6. I Say a Little Prayer
7. Son of a Preacher Man
8. Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)
9. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
10. You Send Me
11. The Weight
12. Bridge Over Troubled Water
13. Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
14. Don’t Play That Song
15. Do Right Woman – Do Right Man
16. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
17. Spanish Harlem
18. Ain’t No Way
19. Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love)
20. Silent Night (Solo Piano Version)

CD 2 – all tracks with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

1. Think
2. Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)
3. I Say a Little Prayer
4. Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
5. A Brand New Me
6. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
7. Angel
8. Border Song (Holy Moses)
9. Let It Be
10. People Get Ready
11. Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby)
12. You’re All I Need to Get By
13. Son of a Preacher Man
14. Respect
15. Think (featuring Beverley Knight)

CD 1, Tracks 1, 8, 15, and 16 from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Atlantic LP 8139, 1967
CD 1, Tracks 2, 9, and 18 from Lady Soul, Atlantic LP 8176, 1968
CD 1, Tracks 3, 6, and 10 from Aretha Now, Atlantic LP 8186, 1968
CD 1, Track 4 from Young, Gifted and Black, Atlantic LP 7213, 1972
CD 1, Track 5 from Aretha Arrives, Atlantic LP 8150, 1967
CD 1, Tracks 7 and 11 from This Girl’s in Love with You, Atlantic LP 8248, 1970
CD 1, Track 12 from Atlantic single 2796, 1971
CD 1, Track 13 from Let Me in Your Life, Atlantic LP 7292, 1974
CD 1, Track 14 from Spirit in the Dark, Atlantic LP 8265, 1970
CD 1, Track 17 from Atlantic single 2817, 1971
CD 1, Track 19 from This Christmas, DMI Records CD R2 516188, 2008
CD 1, Track 20 from Rhino digital single “Silent Night (Solo Piano Version),” 2018
CD 2, Tracks 1- 14 from A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rhino 081227942373, 2017
CD 2, Track 15 previously unreleased