Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

After years of polite pop recordings at Columbia, Aretha Franklin arrived at Atlantic Records in 1967, sat down at the piano, and unleashed her true power. Recorded with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals, the album opens with the definitive feminist declaration of Respect before diving into agonizing southern soul on Do Right Woman, Do Right Man. Franklin's gospel-trained piano pounding and jaw-dropping vocal acrobatics announce the arrival of soul music's supreme queen.