A Good Album, not great, Good.

Ok, I get it, Aretha was expanding her artistic persona. This album is good, not great, good. It made theatrical sense that Aretha (only Soul musics greatest female singer) and Quincy Jones(one of Musics genius')be teamed up.The problem was Aretha's down home gospel driven vocals combined with the experimental Jazz that quincy was adding to the equasion, came off as odd to many people.In comparison to albums like "I never loved a man" and "Spirit in the dark" one almost asks, is this the same artist? The album's success could have gone either way, wildly successful or a complete flop, sadly the album took to the ladder.The songs were not overly catchy or could even be considered R&B of the time. The major exception, the whole reason to buy this album comes from the 7+ minute song "Just right tonight". I heard this song and said "wow" this song is so amazing it will send shivers through your entire body. I truly feel this is Aretha's most INTENSE,SOULFUL and by far her BEST recording ever! The albums shows off some of Arethas amazing vocal prowess. The song Angel is beautiful and awe inspiring, while "Moody's mood" leaves your head spinning, with the thousand lyrics a minute way in which it is sung.
A good, not great, but good album.
One last note. Master of Eyes is also included on the album. The first time it was ever available on the album. THe song was not included on the origional vinyl release.

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of Aretha!)

I am sooOOOoooo glad to be reading positive reviews of this album, especially since it is one of the most difficult Aretha Franklin albums to aquire. And I agree, it is also Aretha's finest, most introspective work to date. When it was first released, I did not understand why it didn't top the charts, as I did not understand the commercial whoring of the industry yet. All I knew is that I had discovered soul, and was enveloped by it's messenger. Buy this album, and hear what true artistic nirvana is.

Aretha's Tour de Force

In my humble opinion, this lp stands as Aretha's singular greatest acheivement, the moment when she advanced light years from what was at the time the reliable hit machine she, Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin had evolved into. No female before her had created a song cycle as esoteric as this one. She seems to be speaking directly to her demons in a way I don't think her audience was willing to comprehend. Very similar in many respects to Marvin Gaye's "Here My Dear" though not as literal.

That the project was deemed a failure, almost assures it's place as a cult favorite among Aretha fans. Listening to the album in it's entirety, I think that Aretha was purging herself of the some of the pressures surrounding her at the time. There is a joy inside the melancholy of her singing. I don't know, it just feels cathartic at the end.

QJ's production doesn't overwhelm as it tended to with his later projects. Aretha gets lots of room to just sing.

And we're all the richer for it.

She'd return to a career making coda with "Let Me In Your Life" but this lp shows us her willingness to push the limits of r&b/pop/jazz and broadway to their extremes.