Customer Reviews

Aretha Franklin/This Christmas

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I have been (and always will be) a diehard 'Retha Fan. She has made classic recordings from day one that have undoubtedly stood the test of time. I have followed her since her Columbia days all the way up to now when she appears to become truly bitter and twisted at the mere SUGGESTION that someone other than she deserves the accolade "Queen of Soul." (get over it, 'Retha...it's time for you to go sit down somewhere and be very quiet..)

Notwithstanding, I have to agree with a previous reviewer - this is REAL beat up. I was not well for this at ALL!. Forget the magnificent runs, 'Retha and just sing the song, okay? She's all over the place and melody seems to be an alien concept to her. Indeed, some things do NOT get better with age. Or more pointedly, the fact that you are indeed a musical legend who has made an indelible impact on American music is still no excuse to release a clearly inferior product and expect even your diehard fans to simply accept it. Of course, no one ALWAYS hits the mark but quite frankly, love, you have been submitting similarly spotty work far too frequently lately. (sigh...it is indeed difficult to have to tell a loved one to clean it up!..)

This is (hopefully) just a mere stumbling block and she will release a much more decent project next year {belch}.

('Retha, I'm real mad at this because I KNOW you can do better....much, much, better.)

If you are a diehard Retha fan, you may want to get this but for the life of me I cannot bring myself to purchase it......yet

DEC 6, 2008 - maybe it was the holiday season...or perhaps it was it was my sister's birthday and I missed her....whatever it was that hit me, I broke down and bought it anyway....all I need say is always trust your first instincts....they are usually INIFNITELY better than that ti'ed ol' second thought!!!...well, it's still 'Retha....(sigh)

The reviewer by the name of Katchy hit the nail RIGHT on the head.

It is only natural for us to expect singers (especially those that are famous) to sound the same over the years, even if logic and common sense tell us that people don't age the same way for the same reasons.

Aretha is my favorite vocal artist, male or female, living or not, any genre. I love many of her albums. This is not one that I love even after many spins. But there is much that I like about it.

First off, let's talk about The Voice. Aretha's subtle nuances are still one of a kind and cannot be duplicated by anyone. As with much of Aretha's art, these nuances may not be obvious on the first listen but are very clear on the "dry-down."

Even on the controversial opener with the questionable and sometimes scary interpretation of the chorus, 'Angels We Have Heard On High', we can hear these not-so-obvious moments. Aretha is at her best now when she can take her time. "And the mountains ... in reply" is a beautifully phrased line, with the caramel of her voice coming through. The last line before the final chorus is also beautiful in its vocal and phrasing - "while our hearts, with love we praise." In that one line she takes it from sounding like a young innocent schoolgirl to a seasoned woman that can teach the young 'uns. The subtle melisma on the word "praise" is like the vocal equivalent to watching cake batter fold on itself as it's poured in the bowl.

That gorgeous billowy quality, first noticed on Aretha 1980, is not something I have ever heard in anyone else's voice. Time and possibly personal lifestyle choices may have cut down the number of times we hear that from Aretha, but that quality - among with many other good ones - are still there, in spite of some admittedly missed vocal opportunities with this set.

Production values and the background vocals and arrangements on this CD are classy, polished and tasteful. It's light on the elusive "soul" factor, but this is a work that is very contemporary yet will stand the test of time. Producer Tena Clark should be proud.

My recommendation is to take This Christmas Aretha in its proper context: a living legend who has been pushing her voice to the extreme for decades is still with us and sharing what she has left. Take these performances for what they are. Don't give in to the easy temptation to unfairly compare 2008 with 1968 and expect Aretha to holler and carry on like some of the younger ladies do.

You just may realize that this set - on its OWN merits - is far from perfect, but still asserts in more than a few ways that the Queen Of Soul is entitled to her crown.

Long Live Queen Ree.

I was hopeful this album would complement my large collection of more traditional Christmas albums. Every year I look forward to the time between Thanksgiving and the week after New Years, when I indulge in the songs of the season. I've been a huge fan of all kinds of Christmas songs -- from Handel's Messiah to Burl Ives, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby. This album does not disappoint. From beginning to end, Aretha puts her own soulful touch on such standards as Ave Maria and Silent Night with such mellifluous notes you'd swear you could drink them up. Especially for those of us who dive deep into the songs of the season, this is a welcome new addition. Thanks, Aretha!

I bought this CD while Christmas shopping. It is a sad Christmas cd. Re-re!! You produced this? Did you not listen to it first? I love Aretha Franklin but am very disappointed. Track 2 - "This Christmas" - did you not hear how horrible your son sounded when he held that off-key note? It just gets worse. The runs are just too much. She should have just sung the songs smoothly in her classic Aretha style instead of trying to make it in to something it was not. The opening comment in the jacket should have been on the back of the cd. Had I read it prior to purchasing the cd I would have taken it as a warning and left it on the shelf. When she says "it is so unfortunate that John Hammond, Jerry Wexler and Clive Davis never put this on the front burner" - those comments were a bit catty and I see why they left it on the back burner. It never should have made it in the pot much less the stove. I hate to be so blunt but I don't want anyone else to waste their money. I love Aretha but this is a sad Christmas cd. I pulled out my Vanessa Williams "Star Bright". Now THAT'S a Christmas cd. BUY that one and leave Aretha's cd on the shelf. STAR BRIGHT was released in 1996 and it's classic and timeless. I'll put Aretha's on the break room at my job on the table where people place paper back books and plants they don't want anymore. Sorry Re-Re...

Being of an age where people like aretha, ray charles and stevie wonders are legends in not only music but in the history of their eras, I am saddend when they attempt to hold onto that for too long or get talked into making "comeback tours" (ie van halen). My first encounter of this cd was at a bookstore shamelessly promoting it, and all I can say was OH MY. One reviewer called it a Prince impersonation but that doesnt do it justice. We are talking about an hours worth of verbal assault. Something that wouldnt have made 3 seconds in front of the American Idol Judges before being booted off. It was as if the beltone hearing aid was mistuned. I dont believe there was a single note that was on key and most of the songs were so bad you could not even discern the words. Please. Please heed this warning. You would rather listen to the musical stylings of Mister Conway Twitty than this. You have been warned.

"The Queen" pulled up from the table to record. For that and only that reason, I give "The Queen" two stars. So far, I have only heard a few sound bites of her first Christmas project. What I've heard is not stellar. Time, decades of smoking and too much soul food consumption has taxed her vocal ability. This Christmas project is not her first. While with Columbia and Atlantc Records, "The Queen" recorded Christmas material that has been either shelved or reissued on compilations. I suggest diehard Aretha fans seek out her old Christmas stuff. Her old Christmas sides were done prior to her many years of smoking,dranking and EATING.

In a word, Terrible!!

I love Aretha, but it must be the old Aretha, cause I could barely force myself to listen to this CD all the way thru.
About once in each song, did I find a symbolence of a soulful beat, the rest came off as just a bunch of high volume yelling.
I would return the darn thing in an instant and try to find some good Christmas music, but unfortunately these days you can't return
CD's. Aretha, I want my money back!!!
Please, Please do yourself a favor and listen to this before you put your hard earned money on the table.
Don't say I didn't warn you.

I have been a fan for years and I shocked that people review cd's without purchasing or even hearing them. I have let people hear this cd in the car and they love it. In fact they go and get it for themselves. We have gotten so used to this canned music from these young no talents that we can't see real talent anymore. Aretha does not sound at 66 like she did at 26, but who does? I've been to all the divas shows and the truth is they are all aging and having good and bad days. The devos too. That said I listened objectively and cannot for the life of me understand the negative reviews. Aretha has plenty voice left and is using it quite nicely here. "One night with the king" and "Grown up Christmas list" are my favorites. "Ave Maria" is near perfection and "Christmas ain't Christmas" is the jam. I heard some tracks that could have been better, but I would never incourage anybody not to buy a cd. What is that?

Aretha's latest effort finds her voice in an odd place:

She is in great control of her voice but, at times, (most noticeably on "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "This Christmas") it shows gaps in its range and she sounds shrill.

On other tracks such as "Ave Maria", "Angel" and "One night with king" it is hard to imagine that she is 66 because her voice is so at home while soaring, riffing, or just running smoothly through the paces - she is STILL FLY, still amazing, and still on top of her game. The in-store promotional sampler focuses on what I consider to be the weakest tracks from the album, but oddly, leaves out the already classic rendition of Ave Maria, which in my opinion makes the whole effort well worth my money.

I say cop the CD and you'll find yourself tearing up at "Ave Maria" and "One night with the king", laughing with "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and dancing as u decorate your Tree with "Christmas and Christmas" and "The Lord WIll Make a Way" and SKIPPING "THis Christmas" and "Angels We Have Heard on High".

Her voice has left her and I dont think its coming back. She hasnt sounded like she does on her hit recordings in years, but this is just sad. Screaming, wailing, all on here and not in tune with the music. I heard this in a record store and I was shocked it was released. Dont waste your money.