This week saw the release of “Aretha Franklin Sings the Diva Classics,” with Franklin singing songs made famous by Adele, Barbra Streisand and Etta James. Here & Now pop culture critic Renee Graham joins host Robin Young to take a listen to the album.
Renee says Aretha Franklin “is as much the queen of cover songs” as she is the Queen of Soul — someone who can take songs as diverse as Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” and make them her own.
Songs Heard In This Segment
- Adele, Paul Epworth “Rolling in the Deep” performed by Aretha Franklin
- Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Etta James
- Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Aretha Franklin
- Prince “Nothing Compares 2 U” performed by Aretha Franklin
- Giacomo Puccini “Nessun Dorma” performed by Aretha Franklin
- Paul Simon “Bridge Over Troubled Water” performed by Aretha Franklin
- Paul Anka “My Way” performed by Aretha Franklin
Guest
- Renee Graham, pop culture critic for Here & Now. She tweets at @reneeygraham.
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