Search - Aretha Franklin :: Through the Storm

Sometimes RECYCLING is not good for the "environment"

Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 05/21/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In 1986, following the success of the Grammy-winning "Who's Zoomin' Who", featuring the monstrous "Freeway of Love," Aretha was paired with George Michael, Annie Lennox, Larry Graham, and Keith Richards, on the self-titled "Aretha."



Garnering several hits, Aretha and her respective producers (Narada Michael Walden, Arif Mardin, and Jerry Knight, to name a few) decided to continue the same pattern with 1989's "Through the Fire," but with mixed results.



One would have thought that the matching of "The Godfather of Soul" with "The Queen of Soul" would be eventful but Franklin and Brown on "Gimme Your Love" makes one ponder what the two could have done in their prime. The song, unfortunately, is nothing extraordinary, as are the talents involved.



Pop "princess" Whitney Houston joins Aretha on "It Ain't Never Gonna Be," another idea that deserved a better song. The same results are found on the title cut, a duet with Elton John.



The songs are too "lightweight" for such heavy hitters.



Only on the slower-paced "If Ever a Love There Was," featuring fellow Detroit natives The Four Tops, along with saxophonist Kenny G, does the duet-concept work for Franklin and those involved.



The solo efforts (including "Mercy" and the torchy-like "He's the Boy") fare a bit better, although the rationale for remaking "Think" and the nine-year-old "Come to Me" (taken from Franklin's first Arista release in 1980) is perplexing.



Even the Peter Max cover looks too much like the artwork for the previous two releases.



This album must have been one of those "contractual commitments" that the singer must have been forced to do.



'Cause there definitely isn't very much "soul" in it.



"

"After The Storm" would have been a better title.

Justo Roteta | Los Angeles, California United States | 01/01/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unfortunately this album's production, choice of material and overall presentation are much too similar to what's found on 1985's "Who's Zoomin'Who". Only Franklin's glorious duet with The Four Tops' "If Ever A Love There Was" and the jazzy ballad "He's The Boy" manage to not sound dated. Aretha's producers and Arista label boss Clive Davis simply couldn't come up with the right material for her on this set."

Right Concept, Wrong Execution (And Yes, Huge Waste of Talen

Peter | East of Los Angeles | 07/03/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"In the hands of a different producer and different group of songwriters, I wonder if maybe this album might have achieved the results that Aretha and producer Narada Michael Walden (who by now was showing signs of burning out) were hoping for. After listening to this disc, my first thought was, "What a WASTE of the talent!" Just look at the roster of stars who appear here: "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, Whitney Houston, Elton John, Four Tops.....perhaps Aretha's only saving grace here was her duet with the Tops and deserves a place on this disc. The rest is really just fodder and filler taking up needless space on an album that deserved some imagination and originality.



My feeling is Aretha should have ventured into more adventurous territory and team with a more funkified R&B producing team such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who at that time were the hottest producing duo in music. Instead Aretha retreaded to safer waters and familiar territory. I am glad I spent only $3 for a used copy bought on Amazon and I'm already thinking of reselling it. The songs are just filler and unlike Aretha's previous Arista CD's, this one does not contain one HUGE smash a la "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" "Freeway of Love" "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" "Another Night". "Through The Storm" did receive some radio airplay in 1989, but compared to those other tracks listed above, it simply is not enough to sell an entire album. Maybe a sure sign of panic setting in was Aretha's decision to remake her 1968 classic "Think". Has anyone told Aretha that you simply do NOT remake a CLASSIC !! Maybe she felt it was better than anything else they had to offer her for this CD.



Sorry, Aunt Ree Aretha, but this one is what they call a "Bomb"."