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Aretha Franklin's New Album Further Proves She’s Queen Of Cover Songs

Aretha Franklin performing at the Ottawa Jazzfestl (Mike Bouchard/Flickr Creative Commons)
Aretha Franklin performing at the Ottawa Jazzfestl (Mike Bouchard/Flickr Creative Commons)

This week saw the release of “ Aretha Franklin Sings the Diva Classics,” with Franklin singing songs made famous by Adele, Barbra Streisand and Etta James. Here & Now pop culture critic Renee Graham joins host Robin Young to take a listen to the album.

Renee says Aretha Franklin “is as much the queen of cover songs” as she is the Queen of Soul — someone who can take songs as diverse as Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” and make them her own.

Songs Heard In This Segment

  • Adele, Paul Epworth “Rolling in the Deep” performed by Aretha Franklin
  • Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Etta James
  • Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Aretha Franklin
  • Prince “Nothing Compares 2 U” performed by Aretha Franklin
  • Giacomo Puccini “Nessun Dorma” performed by Aretha Franklin
  • Paul Simon “Bridge Over Troubled Water” performed by Aretha Franklin
  • Paul Anka “My Way” performed by Aretha Franklin

Guest

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