Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mellow Gold, November 20, 2005
Another reviewer referred to Aretha's "mellow voice" on this album, and I have to admit that is the Aretha I have come to prefer. It's hard to ignore the fact that in recent years (and there were signs even in the 80s) that vocal wear and tear (and those Kool cigarettes too, I guess) had taken their toll. I thought such 80s tracks as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" suffered from vocal overkill--and vocal strain. So I was surprised to pick up on this 80s release and discover that, when she chose to keep in "mellow," she was in excellent voice.
There are doubtless Aretha fans who don't like to see the "Queen of Soul" in the "Disco Diva" mold we find her in on several tracks here, including the title tune. But Aretha sounds so relaxed and playful on these tracks, scatting away on "Jump to It" like she's Ella reincarnate, it's hard not to fall in love with them. The urban soul stylings of the slower tempo numbers are also pretty yummy, although in terms of tunefulness, there's nothing quite as compelling as, say, "Until You Come Back to Me," to cite an example of a mellow track from an earlier era.
Still it's great to see that she was in good voice in the 80s after all. That's the thing about singers--you should never writer them off because of one or two performances that you thought were weak. They nearly always come back to surprise you. And Aretha Franklin has always been a singer who is full of surprises.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Listen Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, May 23, 2002
By A Customer
After fillin' the sucssesfull '60 & '70 years with soul Aretha entered the early '80's with a new dimension. "Jump to it" is the top, a sample of Funk & Soul together with upcoming artists like Luther Vandross (also produced this album), Fonzi Thornton (The Leader '83), Marcus Miller, The Brothers Johnson (Louis Johnson plays bass on "Just my Daydream"), Levi Stubbs (The Four Tops, duet on "I Wanna make it up to you") and George Duke (Shine on '82). A unique combination, as these artists including Aretha know how to deal with it. From delicious uptempo's to silky soul ballads, the whole album is wonderful. Nevertheless, all these productions from the '80's set the pace. Meant what this decade was all about, you can find it also back in these songs. Eventhough this album is nearly 20 years old, the music can last forever. Wondering why there aren't more great artists of this era, maybe because there very rare. And I think Aretha is.... But on top of it all, listen to it, buy the album. You won't regret it. At least I didn't.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The quintessential 1980s Aretha Franklin R&B album., July 4, 2003
This was Aretha Franklin's best album of the decade. Superbly produced by Luther Vandross himself, this was 1980s soul at its most sophisticated. The title track was a #1 R&B hit but the other seven songs are equally good. It certainly did not sell as well as 1985's "Who's Zoomin' Who?" but it was a much stronger album(artistically).
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~ Aretha Franklin
~ Leela James
~ Aretha Franklin
~ Cheryl Lynn
~ Lionel Richie
by Aretha Franklin 
