Unforgettable: Tribute to Dinah Washington

Aretha Franklin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 28, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AOB
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,562 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aretha Franklin Unforgettable A Tribute To Dinah Washington, June 22, 2004

By 

Nathaniel Marsaleno McGhee (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unforgettable: Tribute to Dinah Washington (Audio CD)

This proves that she can be Standard Jazzy as well as Contemporary and the best was yet to come from Aretha Franklin.This is a wonderful tribute to Dinah Washington especially with Unforgettable,Cold Cold Heart,and What A Difference A Day Made just to name a few of the Albums Highlights.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Gem, June 9, 2002

By 

Edward Moyer (Wilkes-Barre, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unforgettable: Tribute to Dinah Washington (Audio CD)

I stumbled upon this album in a used record store years before it was issued on compact disc. I have always been a huge Aretha fan but was not impressed by her Columbia work as a whole. This album was a huge surprise. In my opinion, it stands with her classic work at Atlantic Records. One can feel in her voice the raw emotion with which she sings these songs. Her sense of loss in the death of Dinah Washington is palpable. I have been a music collector for over forty years. If I were to compile a list of the ten best "forgotten" albums, this would be at or near the top of the list.
The sound on the compact disc is superb. I was delighted to see that Columbia issued the album in its entirety on CD, rather that chopping it up for another in the seemingly endless stream of Aretha compilation albums.
In short, buy the compact disc and give it a few spins. If you are an Aretha fan who has not heard this album, you will be pleased to have another master work in your collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of her Best Columbia recordings, September 1, 2005

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unforgettable: Tribute to Dinah Washington (Audio CD)

As a tribute to the recently departed Dinah Washington, called by many the Queen of the Blues, the future Queen of Soul recorded many of her best known songs in 1964. Needless to say the young Aretha puts her own vocal stamp on these songs, improvising lyrics here and there, and altering vocal melodies to suit her own style. That is but one of her many gifts. ( Her own songwriting and her piano playing are both quite noteworthy.) But it's the music on "Unforgetable" that some might find slightly pedestrian and "adult" in their arrangements. True, that is the one weak link in a lot of her Columbia material . But I think there are many moments of incredible musical intensity here. The organ and drum fueled "Nobody Knows the Way Feel This Morning" just smokes. The mournful trombone solo that begins "Don't Say You're Sorry Again" sets the tone for the lyric perfectly. The title track itself begins just as many of the songs on the album do; slowly the strings and the spare combo begins, building and blending with the first few somewhat undersung verses, until the vocals and instruments reach a fever pitch and almighty is let loose for the finale. "Drinking Again" , "This Bitter Earth " and "What A Diff'rence a Day Made" all follow this same pattern. Her take on "Cold Cold Heart" actually manages to rival the original Dinah Washington single ( itself a cover of the classic Hank Williams tune ) . While Dinah's versions ( she recorded this song a number of times ) featured bland backing vocals from a chorus of what sounds like a terribly uptight all white church choir, Aretha belts this number like her life depended on it. The music is spare, and the just-behind-the-beat rhythm puts her voice front and center. This cd re-issue closes with the bonus track "Lee Cross." Not included on the original album, it was recordeded during the "Unforgetable" sessions, and is a Southern Gospel-style raver that points both to where Aretha came from and where she was headed with Atlantic Records. A worthy addition to your Aretha collection, and a real keeper. I think this is one of her finest Columbia albums, when taken as a whole. Very Highly recommended.