394Icons of R&B and Soulmajesty, redemption, and triumph of soul music. Of course, there have been other women whoe mattered in popular music in ways that Aretha has not. But in many respects, nearly all in fact, it is impossible to hear the sound of the female voice in pop without at least considering the work of Aretha Franklin. As Aretha once learned from Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, so new generations learn from Aretha. She has established the eternal template for all talentll the aspiring girls and women looking for a life in musico follow. When they sing, they, inadvertently or not, pay homage to her life work. We hear her voice in the prideful hip-hop of artists like Mary J. Blige. We catch glimpses of her 1970s presence in Erykah Badu head wrap, and in the soulful vocal style of singers like Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera. Also, skilled as a pianist and songwriter, Aretha made an impact on popular music many ways. She cut the music that now loops continuously in the soundtrack of our lives. That is as big an honor as a recording artist can ever ask. Not that her career is overhe admits to having huge dreams still, including attending Juilliard and doing further charitable work. There are still people she love to work with, awards she love to win, and songs she love to sing. Aretha voice is the sound a woman voice learns to make. It is the sound of growing up, the sound of your st heartache. It the sound of a slamming door as one walks out on an unfaithful lover, or closing quietly as one enters the room to slip into something more comfortable. Her voice resonates with the joy of life, with the pain of death, with the promise of renewal. It is a template that will never be replaced.SELECTED DISCOGRAPHYI Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (Atlantic/Rhino, 1967/1999) Lady Soul (Atlantic/Rhino 1968/1999) Aretha: Live at Fillmore West (Atlantic/Rhino 1971/2006) Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings (Atlantic/Rhino 1972/2006) Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (Atlantic/Rhino, 1992)FURTHER READINGSBego, Mark. Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. New York: Da Capo, 2001. Dobkin, Matt. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You: Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Making of a Soul Music Masterpiece. New York: St. Martin Grif, 2006. Franklin, Aretha and David Ritz. Aretha: From These Roots. New York: Villard, 1999.
