January 22: Aretha Franklin released Lady Soul in 1968

…1968’s Lady Soul proved Aretha Franklin, the pop sensation, was no fluke. Her performances were more impassioned than on her debut, and the material just as strong, an inspired blend of covers and originals from the best songwriters in soul and pop music.
~John Bush (allmusic.com)

Chain of Fools – Live 1968:

From Wikipedia:

Released	January 22, 1968
Recorded	February 16 – December 20, 1967 at Atlantic Studios, New York City
Genre	Deep soul, southern soul, Memphis soul, soul
Length	28:41
Label	Atlantic (#8176), Rhino
Producer	Jerry Wexler

Lady Soul is an album by Aretha Franklin, released in 1968. The album was her second R&B chart-topper, the follow-up to “Aretha Arrives” and included some of her biggest hit singles, “Chain of Fools” (#2 Pop), and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (#8 Pop), and “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone” (#5 Pop). It eventually sold over a million copies in the United States alone. The album was reissued on Rhino Records in a deluxe edition in 1995.

(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman – live:

Lady Soul peaked at #1, #2 and #3 on Billboard’s Black Albums, Pop Albums and Jazz Albums charts respectively. The single “Ain’t No Way” (B-Side of “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet, Sweet, Baby)”) peaked at #9 on the Black Singles chart, and #16 on the Pop Singles chart.

Gospel/R&B singer Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney Houston) and her group the Sweet Inspirations are credited as background vocals on several tracks, along with Aretha’s sisters’ Carole and Emma Franklin. In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Lady Soul the 41st greatest album of all time. It is number 84 on Rolling Stone’s list “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone – album version:

Album of the day

– Hallgeir