Aretha is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on September 30, 1980, by Arista Records. This is Franklin's second eponymous album, and her first for Arista Records after a 12-year tenure with Atlantic Records.[5]

Aretha
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 30, 1980
RecordedApril–July 1980
Genre
Length39:23
LabelArista
Producer
Aretha Franklin chronology
La Diva
(1979)
Aretha
(1980)
Aretha Sings the Blues
(1980)
Singles from Aretha
  1. "United Together"
    Released: October, 1980 (US)
  2. "What a Fool Believes"
    Released: February, 1981 (US)
  3. "Come to Me"
    Released: May, 1981 (US)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(unrated)[2]
Robert ChristgauB−[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Franklin's first Arista single release, "United Together", reached number 3 on the Soul chart and crossed over to number 56 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album itself peaked at number 47 and spent 30 weeks on the Billboard album chart.

The album's opening track, "Come to Me", appeared again on Franklin's 1989 album, Through the Storm.

Track listing

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Information is taken from the album's liner notes[6]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Come to Me"Willard Gene Price3:42
2."I Can't Turn You Loose"Otis Redding3:55
3."United Together"Phil Perry, Chuck Jackson5:02
4."Take Me With You"Phil Perry, Terry Coleman, Chuck Jackson4:05
5."Whatever It Is"Mark Gary, Eddie Setser, Jerry Michael3:38
6."What a Fool Believes"Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald5:13
7."Together Again"Aretha Franklin, Phil Perry, Chuck Jackson3:34
8."Love Me Forever"Franklin, Kenny Moore, Patrick Henderson4:47
9."School Days"Franklin4:54

Personnel

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Information is taken from the album's liner notes[6]

Production

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  • Produced by Chuck Jackson (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) and Arif Mardin (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8).
  • Co-producer on track 9: Aretha Franklin
  • Engineers: Lee DeCarlo and Frank Kejmar (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9); Jeremy Smith (tracks 1, 2, 6 and 8).
  • Additional engineer: Lewis Hahn
  • Assistant engineers: Michael O'Reilly, Stewart Whitmore
  • Mixing on tracks 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9: Reginald Dozier
  • Re-mixing: Lewis Hahn and Gene Paul (tracks 1–7 and 9); Arif Mardin and Michael O'Reilly (track 8).
  • Re-mix assistant on track 8: Joe Mardin
  • Recorded at MCA Whitney Recording Studios (Glendale), Record Plant (Los Angeles), Sound Labs Studios (Hollywood) and Atlantic Studios (New York City).
  • Edited at Cherokee Studios (Los Angeles).
  • Mixed at MCA Whitney Recording Studios and Cherokee Studios.
  • Mastering: Ken Perry and Bill Inglot at Sterling Sound (New York).
  • Art direction and design: Ria Lewerke-Shapiro
  • Photography: George Hurrell

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Elias, Jason. Aretha at AllMusic
  2. ^ "Review: Aretha Franklin – Aretha" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 42. October 18, 1980. p. 66. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Aretha review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  4. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 263.
  5. ^ Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1981). "Aretha Franklin: Gospel and Glamour". The New York Times. ProQuest 121764881.
  6. ^ a b Franklin, Aretha (1980). Aretha (Liner Notes). Arista.
  7. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.