Aretha Franklin - Live at Park West
Midway through this 1985 concert taped for the PBS seriesSoundstage, Aretha Franklin blows away everything that's come in the previous minutes--a lengthy, sensuous "Something He Can Feel," a steamrolling "See Saw"--with a regretful but unapologetic reading of "Ain't No Way." She sings the 1968 ballad as if reflecting on a hurt that's so fresh that not talking about it won't help and singing about it might. The understated drama inherent in the performance equals that which a Michelle Pfeiffer or Cicely Tyson would bring to the piece. But no one else fills Aretha's role, of course, and this show is packed with reminders why. From "Ain't No Way" to the seductive "Love All the Hurt Away"--with the star slyly filling in absent duet partner George Benson's part on one line, unleashing a ululating cry of pleasure the next--and a brisk yet affecting "I Say a Little Prayer," she all but takes over the lease of Chicago's Park West club. Only the icky Diana Ross tune "It's My Turn" and an overly Vegas-y take on the gospel classic "Didn't It Rain" seem wrong, and even on those there are classic Aretha moments.--Rickey Wright