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ARETHA FRANKLIN - A Rose Is Still A Rose ARETHA, one of the acknowledged divas of soul and R&B in the several decades she has been in showbiz, shows she's still got the power and the feel.
Her highly distinctive voice gleams as brightly and soulfully as ever, over the backing music of contemporary soul and hip hop.
The title track is written by Lauren Cole of the Fugees, and some blazing scatting in the uptempo funky tune shows the lady's vocal talents are still intact. Watch My Back kicks in a similar groove and should be a big hit on the dance floor.
Ballads like How Many Times and Here We Go Again shows her singing with great conviction and power, while Never Leave You Again has Puff Daddy producing the lush, funky ballad.
I'll Dip has some cool vocal harmonies that make the tune reminiscent of En Vogue. But Aretha's blazing vocal takes the song to another place.
All in all it's very smooth soul, not as raw and unrestrained as her earlier efforts, but which will make this album quite accessible to pop and R&B fans alike.
14 Karat Soul - Imagine 14 KARAT Soul is a vocal harmony group specialising in singing a cappella and they do it really well. They have been together for over 10 years and it shows in their tight harmonies.
There's quite a variety of styles here, with...