Album Review: Aretha Franklin – Yeah!!!

Artist Overview

Artist: Aretha Franklin

Label: Columbia Records

Release Year: 1965

Genre: Vocal Jazz / Soul / Pop Standards

Runtime: 34:08

Producer: Clyde Otis

Musical Director: Clyde Otis

Arrangers: Horace Ott, Belford Hendricks

Overview: Aretha Between Two Worlds

Released in 1965, Yeah!!! sits near the end of Aretha Franklin’s six-year tenure with Columbia Records. This period is often debated by critics and fans alike. Columbia struggled to fully harness the deep gospel-blues core of her voice. Yet, this album reveals a vocalist already brimming with power, charisma, and intelligence. At just 22 years old, Aretha demonstrates a mastery of phrasing and emotional control that is well beyond her years.

Yeah!!! is often mischaracterized as a live album. Columbia leaned into that fiction, overdubbing crowd noise and applause to create the illusion of a nightclub performance. However, these are actually studio recordings designed to evoke the feeling of a smoky club set. Despite this artificial element, the musical performances are genuine and consistently tasteful.

This album does not capture the gritty, church-born soul of her later Atlantic work. Instead, it aligns more closely with artists like Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, or early Sarah Vaughan. Even with the suits at Columbia nudging her toward supper-club sophistication, Aretha injects fire and feeling into these jazz, blues, and show tune standards.

The band is a tight, well-rehearsed combo featuring jazz piano, upright bass, clean electric guitar, brushed drums, and tasteful horn accents. Unlike some over-orchestrated Columbia productions, Yeah!!! benefits from a leaner, more agile setup. This arrangement gives Aretha room to breathe and improvise.

Track-by-Track Breakdown

1. “This Could Be the Start of Something” (Steve Allen)

This bold opener features a snappy tempo and playful vocal phrasing. Aretha scats briefly and stretches the rhythm with confidence. She rides the groove with a flirtatious sparkle, hinting at the soul fire bubbling underneath her polished surface.

2. “Once in a Lifetime” (Bricusse/Newley)

Drawn from the musical Stop the World – I Want to Get Off, this track receives a lush, torch-song treatment. Aretha sings it with controlled drama, sustaining long notes with perfect pitch and resonance. Her vibrato here is mature and expressive, never overused.

3. “Misty” (Garner/Burke)

One of the standout tracks, her reading of this Erroll Garner classic is understated and intimate. She takes her time, allowing each phrase to breathe. The subtle shifts in tone—from hushed vulnerability to low-key sensuality—showcase her vocal sensitivity.

4. “More” (from Mondo Cane)

A pop-jazz staple of the early '60s, Aretha handles it with precision. Her phrasing elevates what might otherwise be a syrupy ballad into a mini-performance, building intensity without ever breaking into vocal histrionics.

5. “There Is No Greater Love”

This jazz standard, dating back to the '30s, features a warm, romantic slow swing. Here, we hear the early seeds of her soul phrasing—some gospel inflection, more vocal slides, and quiet intensity. The backing is sparse and unobtrusive, allowing her voice to remain the focal point.

6. “That's Entertainment”

Perhaps the most curious inclusion, this track leans more toward Broadway than jazz or soul. Yet, Aretha delivers it with an arched eyebrow, as if commenting on the very idea of being a Columbia-approved “entertainer.” While she doesn't sound deeply invested, her timing and articulation are impeccable.

7. “If I Had a Hammer”

Aretha transforms Pete Seeger’s protest anthem into a swinging, almost jubilant statement. While it's not the folk-fueled rally cry Joan Baez might deliver, there's a quiet fire here. She emphasizes the lyric "It's the hammer of justice" with just enough edge to feel genuine.

8. “Impossible”

A lesser-known Broadway tune, this one floats by as a pleasant interlude. Aretha’s interpretation is soft and dreamy, emphasizing the fragility of the lyric without veering into melodrama.

9. “Today I Love Ev'rybody”

This upbeat, almost bossa-inflected track gives Aretha room to have fun with dynamics. She alternates between clipped, syncopated phrases and long legato lines, showcasing her versatility.

10. “Without the One You Love”

A slow ballad that doesn’t quite ascend to the album’s peaks, but allows Aretha to demonstrate restraint and emotional subtlety. She underplays the heartbreak, suggesting resignation more than anguish.

11. “Trouble in Mind”

This is the most bluesy number here and perhaps the closest Aretha gets to her "real" self. She sings it with a weary authority that belies her age. There’s a gospel growl in her voice that briefly escapes—a tantalizing preview of what would explode in just two years.

12. “Love for Sale”

Arguably the album’s artistic climax, Aretha delivers Cole Porter’s cynical, sultry lyric with world-weary grace and subtle fire. It’s controlled, yes—but under the cool surface is a simmering heat. She seems to challenge the audience: You want class? Here's class with a bite.

Historical Context and Significance

By the time Yeah!!! was released, Aretha had recorded seven albums for Columbia. While the label failed to find her commercial niche—bouncing her from jazz to standards to lite pop—these years were crucial in sharpening her artistry. She learned about arranging, articulation, studio discipline, and how to inhabit songs that weren’t necessarily personal.

Two years later, she would leave Columbia for Atlantic Records. Producer Jerry Wexler would give her the freedom to be unapologetically soulful. In that sense, Yeah!!! is the calm before the storm—a record that, in hindsight, helps us appreciate her explosive transformation into the Queen of Soul.

Verdict

Aretha Franklin’s Yeah!!! is not a typical jazz record. Nor is it fully a soul record. It’s something in between—a snapshot of a genius developing her toolkit, with moments of dazzling skill and tantalizing flashes of the power to come.

This isn’t just a curiosity for completists. It’s a rewarding listen on its own terms, full of technical brilliance, emotional nuance, and a young woman finding her voice—even in the confines of a producer’s vision that couldn’t yet see the full horizon.

Final Rating: 8.4 / 10

A refined, smoldering showcase of a star just before her takeoff. Not yet the revolution, but the rumble before it.

Aretha Franklin – Yeah!!! (2022)

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