Released in January 1972 ‘Young Gifted and Black’ is rightly regarded as one of the Queen of Soul’s best and most successful albums. It includes the magnificent ballad ‘Oh my oh my’ , the superb floating mid tempo ‘Day Dreaming’ and ultra funky gem ‘Rock Steady’. Her gospel drenched cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Young gifted and black’ became an anthem for Afro American pride. Her version of the Gamble and Butler song ‘Brand new me’ is definitive and really swings along. Her uptempo take on the Bacharach David song ‘April Fools’ is uplifting and has become popular on the Modern Soul scene. The ballads ‘I’ve been loving you too long’ and ‘All the kings horses’ are also strong. The album was brilliantly produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin and features a great line up of musicians including Donny Hathaway, Cornell Dupree, Chuck Rainey, Hubert Laws and Bernard Purdie backing singers including sisters Carolyn and Erma and the Sweet Inspirations but the real star is Aretha who is magnificent throughout this classic Soul album.
Track listings:
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01 Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby) by Aretha Franklin
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02 Day Dreaming by Aretha Franklin
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03 Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin
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04 Young, Gifted, And Black by Aretha Franklin
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05 All The King’s Horses by Aretha Franklin
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06 A Brand New Me by Aretha Franklin
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07 April Fools by Aretha Franklin
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08 I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Aretha Franklin
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09 First Snow In Kokomo by Aretha Franklin
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10 The Long And Winding Road by Aretha Franklin
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11 Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) by Aretha Franklin
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12 Border Song (Holy Moses) by Aretha Franklin
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