The work of producer Jerry Wexler, arranger Arif Mardin and sound engineer Tom Dowd, who turned their sexually charged gospel soul into a masterpiece, would have been simply “fabulous”, Aretha Franklin once told ROLLING STONE.
She bowed to songwriters like Don Covay, who contributed “Chain Of Fools,” or Carole King, whose ballad “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” would have captured her own feelings exactly. “The lyrics reflected my experiences. It wasn’t about feminism, just what I wanted to express myself.”
But of course “Lady Soul” itself made the most important contribution. “For someone like me, who came from Europe and had a jazz background,” says Arif Mardin, who comes from Turkey, “it was like going to school, to the ‘Aretha Franklin University of Soul’.”
In personal dealings, Franklin was “very friendly, shy and modest”, which did not prevent her from flashing her authority when in doubt. “The way she played the piano was one of the key factors,” says Mardin. “Aretha was the source from which everything else was fed.”
The result has lost none of its luster today, from the moving Curtis Mayfield cover of People Get Ready to the album’s sensual close, Ain’t No Way, written by Aretha’s sister Carolyn. “That’s why I’m in this business,” Mardin says. “Only here do I have the privilege of being able to experience such moments.”