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Review: Aretha Franklin at ACL Live
Aretha Franklin performs at Tuesday at ACL Live. Photo by Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN More photos
Despite any medical issues that may have sidelined her over the last year, Aretha Franklin’s voice is still very much in tact. Tuesday night at ACL Live, it was even bigger than the songs, which is no small feat.
The Blind Boys of Alabama, who originally had Tuesday night at the venue to themselves before Franklin stepped in as the headliner, opened with a set of gospel rock capped off by an inspiring “Amazing Grace” wed to a thick “House of the Rising Sun” instrumental. It was hard not to feel a little bad for the Blind Boys, though, on stage in their suits as the temperatures inside the theater continued to rise from a lack of air conditioning, apparently one of Franklin’s requests.
Franklin’s 20-piece orchestra, complete with a conductor and joined by Austin-based trumpeter Ephraim Owens, took the stage in advance of the headliner, running through a medley of some of the evening’s numbers. The band was impressive, a jazz and soul symphony big enough to match Franklin’s iconic voice. Opener “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” originally made famous by Jackie Wilson, soared, as did “Think,” where Franklin, moving well on stage, flexed her voice amid the raging horn section.
Throughout the night, Franklin was a master of moments both high and low, as the mellow, Ben E. King’s “Don’t Play That Song” and “Ain’t No Way,” was followed by a triumphant “Chain of Fools,” with Franklin, hands in the air, wielding her power.
The second half was less upbeat but still moving. The centerpiece of the set, which included a tribute to the late Joe Frazier — Franklin said that she remains a fan of the fights — found the queen taking her place behind the piano for a delicate and sultry rendition of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” and an extended “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The latter morphed into a gospel jam, with Franklin and her band taking the song to places far, far away from Simon and Garfunkel’s and even her own classic version.
Not surprisingly, Franklin saved “Respect” for the encore, though it felt abbreviated. That it came, along with “Greatest Love of All,” at the end of a long night probably had something to do with it, but it also seemed as if the Franklin didn’t need to make her signature song the defining moment of the night. Her nearly two-hour set had already sent a message — she endures, without question.
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By Robert Simpson
November 17, 2011 11:18 AM | Link to this
Aretha is still “The Queen Of Soul”! Her vocal chords are definitely as good as they ever were. She’s engaging and knows how to put on a fantastic show!!