10 Amazing Albums Turning 50 In 2022
6. Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
Beyond the immortal hits, the back catalogue of Aretha Franklin can be tough to parse, such is its size. Perhaps the purest distillation of her incredible talent is this 1972 live album recorded at LA’s New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in January of 1972.
Franklin is backed by a quality spiritual band, most notably James Cleveland on piano and vocals and the Southern California Community Choir, whose voices wail around Aretha’s with incredible force. But it’s Franklin who owns the stage, in perfect control of her otherworldly talent, laying back or going full throttle as necessary.
Opening with a restrained version of the traditional "Mary, Don't You Weep", she draws in the crowd with a preacher’s grip, before hotting up on highlight "How I Got Over". Unsurprisingly this is a God-heavy album, but the musicianship and passion on display is for everyone to enjoy.
The double album was the biggest seller of Franklin’s career, and for an even more immersive experience there’s Sydney Pollack’s recently released film of the same name. It’s a transcendent work for believers and secularists alike.