Sparkle
Though she'd already been hailed as the Queen of Soul for her run of sultry '60s hits for Atlantic, Aretha Franklin split her time in the '70s between explorations of her gospel roots and flirtations with the pop mainstream, often with diminishing results. But, just as the music she had so long epitomized was evolving into rhythmic funk and nascent disco, Franklin teamed with fellow soul vet Curtis Mayfield to produce the soundtrack for this otherwise unremarkable film project, a collaboration that retrenched her successfully in the dramatic, gospel-rooted musical framework of a decade earlier.  Thanks in no small part to Mayfield's focused, stripped-to-the-essentials production, Franklin frees herself to turn in remarkably consistent performances throughout, from the effervescent title track and romantic anthem "Something He Can Feel" to the soaring vocal showcase "I Get High" and infectious R&B groove of "Loving You Baby."--Jerry McCulley