Aretha Franklin's 'Young, Gifted and Black'

Aretha Franklin‘s ‘Young, Gifted and Black’ is an album (its title being borrowed from the Nina Simone song ‘To Be Young, Gifted and Black) released on January 24, 1972 by Atlantic.

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1 . Oh Me, Oh My [I’m A Fool For You Baby] (1971)

2 . Oh Me Oh My [I’m A Fool For You Baby]

3 . Border Song (w/ Elton John)

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Track Listing : 1.Oh Me Oh My (I’M A Fool For You Baby) (Jim Doris) – 03:42 . 2.Day Dreaming (Aretha Franklin) – 04:00 . 3.Rock Steady (Aretha Franklin) – 03:15 . 4.Young, Gifted And Black (Nina Simone) – 03:34 . 5.All The King’S Horses (Aretha Franklin) – 03:56 . 6.A Brand New Me (Theresa Bell, Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble) – 04:26 . 7.April Fools (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 03:29 . 8.I’Ve Been Loving You Too Long (Jerry Butler, Otis Redding) – 03:36 . 9.First Snow In Kokomo (Aretha Franklin) – 04:04 . 10.The Long And Winding Road (John Lennon, Paul Mccartney) – 03:38 . 11.Didn’T I (Blow Your Mind This Time) (Thom Bell, William Hart) – 03:42 . 12.Border Song (Holy Moses) (Bernie Taupin, Elton John) – 03:22

Musicians : Donny Hathaway – Organ, Electric Piano . Dr. John – Percussion . Billy Preston – Organ . Hubert Laws – Alto Flute . Chuck Rainey – Bass . The Memphis Horns – Ensemble . Don Arnone – Acoustic Guitar . Cornell Dupree – Guitar . Eric Gale – Bass . Wayne Jackson – Trumpet . Andrew Love – Tenor Saxophone . Ray Lucas – Percussion, Drums, On (4 – 10 – 12) . Hugh Mccracken – Guitar . Robert Popwell – Bass, Percussion . Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – Percussion, Drums On (2 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 8 – 11) . Neal Rosengarden – Percussion, Trumpet, Vibraphone . Al Jackson, Jr. – Drums On (1 – 6) . Pat Smith – Background Vocals . Ronald Bright – Background Vocals . Sammy Turner – Background Vocals . J.R. Bailey – Background Vocals . Carolyn Franklin – Background Vocals . Erma Franklin – Background Vocals . The Sweet Inspirations – Background Vocals . Margaret Branch – Background Vocals . Ann S. Clark – Background Vocals

Production : Produced By Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler . Howie Albert – Engineer . Don Cassale – Engineer . Gene Paul – Engineer . Lewis Hahn – Engineer . Chuck Kirkpatrick – Engineer . Jimmy Douglass – Engineer . Jack Adams – Engineer . Howard Albert – Engineer . Ron Albert – Engineer

Package : Stanislaw Zagorski – Cover Design . David Nathan – Liner Notes

Recorded August 1970 – February 1971.

Released On January 24, 1972 By Atlantic.

(Source Aretha Franklin – Young, Gifted and Black | The Official Aretha Franklin Site)

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Soul Tracks
Even on a major album like Young Gifted and Black, Aretha’s musicianship is as often overlooked, as her piano style is charismatic. The solo on “A Brand New Me” shows improvisational skill and personality. Alongside the Rhodes and organs of Billy Preston and Donny Hathaway, she easily blends whether on top or bottom of their chords. […]

BBC
One of the Queen of Soul’s very best. The vocal arrangement on its run out, where she joined by her sisters Erma and Carolyn and the Sweethearts of Soul, is little short of breathtaking. Rock Steady is one of her most propulsive grooves, still at home on any dancefloor today. […]

Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews
A solid, updated-sounding album that represents her commercial peak in this period, with two Top 10 singles (“Rock Steady,” energetic funk James Brown-style; the bossa nova-like “Day Dreaming”) and two other Top 40 singles (the mellow, nicely orchestrated “All The King’s Horses”; “Border Song”), three of which she wrote herself. It shows off all of her stylistic range, including gospel (title track), big-band jazz (“A Brand New Me”), upbeat, Motown-influenced pop (“April Fools”)and even Philly soul (Thom Bell’s “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time,” a hit for the Delfonics the previous year). […]

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