There are divas, and then there is Aretha. With her soulful, buttery pipes still fully intact at 58, she proves no need for the elaborate costume and stage frou-frou that is needed by her contemporaries.
With a larger than life physical appearance, Aretha Franklin walks out to a hungry crowd of moneyed men and cliques of gabby women packed into the funky, voodoo-vibed venue. With her long brown hair pulled cleanly back, wearing a large creamy silk gown and more sparkly glitter on her face than a Christopher Radko ornament, Aretha appears ready to lead a Sunday gospel choir into a Christmas Eve service.
But instead the undisputed Queen of Soul fronts a wonderfully rich orchestra, augmented by a ten-piece horn section and five-person choir, that swings full-force on uptempo R&B numbers, yet has the restraint to pull back when needed for the soulful ballads.
Unlike other divas, where costume changes and set designs take center stage over the music, Aretha's presence is relaxed yet refreshingly uplifting, as she lets her rich vocals do the work of what it takes a dozen designers to do for the Chers and Bettes of the world. Her voice is in top form as she sumptuously belts out heartfelt ballads and roof-raising, gospel-infused soul numbers with a controlled gracefulness that preaches nothing but the truth.
With a proud, commanding stance reminiscent of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, Franklin and orchestra make this small hall with it's colourful, kitschy, folk-art laced walls seem like a visit to a southern baptist church on acid.
But as freaky as the surroundings are, Aretha never lets her music stray, which, unfortunately, also turns out to be the downfall of her performance. While she pulls out a few older gems, such as the swinging 'Chain of Fools', the powerful, gospel-soaked 'Let Your Love Light Shine on Me' and a sweet, stirring rendition of 'A Song For You' which has Aretha performing alone at the piano, she never hits on her key material.
Performing an out-of-place, rap-meets-soul take on the Baha Men's 'Who Let The Dogs Out' and an oddly timed 'Auld Lang Syne' [did we miss Christmas?], it seems these would have been better left in Aretha's shower repertoire. While some of her newer material, such as 'A Rose Is Still A Rose', with punchy horns and sassy background vocals, along with a raucous take on her 1972 hit 'Daydreaming' hold up on their own, the glaring omissions of her famous standards such as 'Respect', 'Think' and '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' send the crowd home feeling, rightfully, shorted.
And considering that the show only lasted under an hour-and-a-half, with no encore, the ticket cost of $75 a pop was all the more painful. Hopefully, next time around Aretha will pick a set-list that will show her audience a little more 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'.
IMAGES: STEVE STYLES
