This is her first album with
Arista
after ending a 13-year, largely successful stint with
Atlantic Records
. By as early as 1973,
Franklin
's album turnout became spotty as late-'70s entries,
Sweet Passion
and
La Diva
came and went quickly. For
Aretha
,
label president
Clive Davis
drummed out a certain amount of fanfare for this initial effort, and for the most part it was deserved.
attempts to pull out all of the stops, which is suitable for a major artist coming to a new label. The best moments here reestablish
as a phenomenal singer, not just an icon. The brilliantly sung
"United Together"
and autumnal
"Come to Me"
have both
and producer
Chuck Jackson
seemingly like they'd recorded together for years. What undoes
is a few overproduced tracks of dubious distinction. The too busy cover of
the Doobie Brothers
"What a Fool Believes"
fails
, skimming past the song's lyrical. Her
gospel
-fueled childhood recollection
"School Days"
and a
disco
fied cover of
"I Can't Turn You Loose"
are both ingratiating and potentially nerve racking. This effort was meant to reestablish
, and it was more popular than most of her late-'70s
Atlantic
albums, but this could have been better. ~ Jason Elias