All About Aretha – A Brand New Me: Mini-Doc and RollingStone.com Premiere

When critics call Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul, it isn’t just an honorary title. It’s one that was earned, and if you need proof, then you need only look at the Billboard charts throughout the 1960s and – more importantly – just listen to her output during the same period of time. In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Aretha signing to Atlantic Records, Rhino is releasing a collection which takes the classic vocals from some of Ms. Franklin’s most iconic songs and pairs them with new arrangements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The result: A BRAND NEW ME.

To get some insight into this album, Rhino has put together a mini-documentary which details the making of A BRAND NEW ME, featuring insights from the album’s co-proudcers, Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, as well as Nile Rodgers of Chic and James Williams, the managing director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. There’s also archival footage of Aretha in concert as well as newly-filmed footage of the making of the album in Abbey Road Studios.

You can check out the video here:

And if you’d like to get a sampling of one of the songs from the album in advance of its release this Friday, we can arrange that, too: Rolling Stone is offering an exclusive stream of “Think,” which you can hear by clicking right here.

After you’ve clicked, Friday is going to seem like a long way away, so it feels a little cruel to make it worse by letting you know what tracks are going to be included on the album. Still, we’re going to do it, anyway, in case you need a little extra inspiration to pre-order the album.

CD / Digital:

1. "Think"
   2. "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)"
   3. "I Say A Little Prayer"
   4. "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
   5. "A Brand New Me"
   6. "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)"
   7. "Angel"
   8. "Border Song (Holy Moses)"
   9. "Let It Be"
   10. "People Get Ready"
   1 "Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby)"
   12. "You're All I Need To Get By"
   13. "Son Of A Preacher Man"
   14. "Respect"

LP:

1. A
   1. "Think"
   2. "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)"
   3. "I Say A Little Prayer"
   4. "A Brand New Me"
   5. "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)"
   6. "Angel"

1. B
   1. "Border Song (Holy Moses)"
   2. "Let It Be"
   3. "People Get Ready"
   4. "You're All I Need To Get By"
   5. "Son Of A Preacher Man"
   6. "Respect"