“Only you / Can hear my soul / Serenade”. Yes, the saxophone is absolutely gorgeous, provided by King Curtis, one of the players responsible for the original 1964 recording. And the pensive piano playing by Spooner Oldham ushers in a degree of wistfulness to the song that is utterly ethereal. But without a doubt, the true magnetism of ‘Soul Serenade’ lies in the inimitable voice of Aretha Franklin. The way she forcefully coos and wails comfortably in each pocket of the instrumental, slowly building to a stunning, reverberating crescendo with each subsequent cadence. By the track’s waning moments, it is, in fact, the audience who has been mesmerically serenaded. Without a shred of hyperbole, it’s truly one of the most groundbreaking recordings of the 20th century - and it’s not even the most acclaimed song on the album.

It’s difficult to fathom that 1967’s I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, perhaps Franklin’s crowning artistic achievement, was actually her 11th studio album, and even more difficult to fathom that the album largely consists of covers. The suspension of belief mainly lies in the fact that there is no single instance in the annals of rock history where an artist has taken on the herculean task of interpreting others’ work with such masterful grace and gusto. Even Otis Redding’s 1965 ‘Respect’ (an artist much renowned for his otherworldly singing prowess) was largely escorted to the sidelines with Franklin’s ubiquitous 1967 version. Further gems like ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ signaled the eternal crowning of a musical goddess, one that could inject profound meaning into each and every crevice of her deafening yet infectiously melodic vocal utterings.

I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You is commonly listed as one of the greatest all-time artistic achievements by any publication with an ounce of credibility. But Franklin didn’t always dabble in the secular arts. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, but spending the majority of her formative years in Detroit, Michigan, she developed the brunt of her singing chops while singing choir in the church. After signing to Columbia records, she tasted her first chart success with 1961’s ‘Won’t Be Long’. Usually, there is a maturation process with soul singers, but Franklin exhibited an almost uncanny control over her sprawling voice, thoroughly penetrating the innards of chords all the while dripping with an untamed, ferocious confidence. Her throaty howl, combined with a mezzo-soprano touch that she first utilized in the church, was purely arresting and lent itself well to her secular leanings. During these early years of her career, while exhibiting a particularly lively performance in Chicago, she was dubbed “The Queen of Soul”, a well-earned moniker that would stick with her for her entire career.

A fortuitous move to Atlantic saw the records that would ultimately come to define her legendary career, such as Aretha Now and Lady Soul, the latter of which featured the Grammy-winning ‘Chain of Fools’ – a Franklin staple for years to come. After a slight string of slumps in the late 70’s as she struggled to acclimate herself to changing musical tastes, Franklin rebounded with 1985’s ‘Freeway Of Love’, bringing about a platinum plaque for the album Who’s Zoomin’ Who? Franklin once again captured massive success in later life with 1998’s A Rose Is Still A Rose (her 37th album), which went on to reach certified Gold status.

Perhaps the scope of Franklin’s true brilliance and iconic reach cannot be truly measured in album sales but the exponentially growing heartfelt condolences from the likes of Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Adele, Liam Gallagher, and Elton John. It seems incomprehensible that one woman could have had such a profound effect on such a varied class of innovators in their own right. But to put things in perspective, all one must do is take a look at the cover of I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You. Franklin is at once demure and tenacious, with eyes seemingly posed to quite literally set the world on fire, equipped with an elegant dynamism the world had yet to fully encounter. As she so eloquently put it on ‘Soul Serenade’, Franklin is now free to fly away and sing to the world about her soul serenade.