Aretha Franklin’s ‘Soft and Beautiful’: A Great Singer’s Missed Opportunity

Aretha Franklin’s Soft and Beautiful is a strange record. It is a pop album made by one of the greatest soul singers ever to live, and it sounds like she is trying to please everyone except herself. The songs are soft, sweet and easy to hum. They are not what Franklin does best. What she does best is power. This record asks her to sit still and smile.

The album came out in 1969, and it sits between two of the strongest records she ever made. It is a step down, and it knows it. The songs are pleasant. None of them are bad. But none of them are great either.

Opening With Loneliness

The record opens with “Only the Lonely,” a cover of a song that had already been recorded by Roy Orbison. Franklin sings it straight, and the song works because she can carry the sadness without losing control. It is the best track here, and it sets a standard the rest of the album never reaches.

“I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” follows, a ballad about wanting to stop loving someone who does not love you back. It is fine, but it does not need to be heard again. The title “(Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young” is longer than the song itself. It is a light, pretty tune about innocence, and it passes without leaving much of an impression.

“Shangri-La” is the weakest track on the record. It is a pop song about an imaginary paradise, and Franklin sounds like she is singing through a fog. She is clearly not interested in the lyrics, and neither will anyone else be.

A Mother’s Love and Coloring Books

“A Mother’s Love” is a short, gentle song about maternal devotion. It is sincere, but it is also slight. “My Coloring Book” is better. It is a jazz standard dressed up as a pop song, and Franklin treats it with some care. Her phrasing is precise, and the song holds together better than anything else here.

“Jim” is a cover of a song originally recorded by the Impressions. It is a protest song about racial injustice, and Franklin delivers it with a quiet dignity that makes it work. It is the second-best track on the record.

“Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)” is a country-pop song about romance. It is pleasant, but it is also forgettable. The title is a mouthful, and the song does not quite live up to it.

“But Beautiful” is a jazz standard about self-doubt. Franklin sings it well, but the song itself is tired. It is a good performance on a bad song.

People Close It Out

“People” closes the record. It is a song about empathy and kindness, and Franklin sings it with a warmth that makes it the most affecting moment on the album. It is not a great song, but she makes it feel important.

What Works and What Does Not

The record’s problem is simple: it asks Franklin to sing about feelings she does not share. She is a soul singer, and soul is about feeling things deeply. Pop is about feeling things lightly. These two things do not always get along.

The covers work better than the originals. “Only the Lonely,” “Jim” and “People” are the three tracks that justify the album’s existence. The rest are pleasant background music. They do not embarrass the record, but they do not elevate it either.

The production is clean and polished, which is not a compliment. Franklin sounds like she is singing in a studio, not in a church or a club. The sound is soft and beautiful, exactly as the title promises. It is also safe.

There is no edge here, no grit, no fire. There is no sense of a performer pushing against the limits of the material. There is only a performer doing what she is told.

The Verdict

Soft and Beautiful is a minor entry in Franklin’s catalog. It is not a failure, but it is a missed opportunity. She is a great singer, and she is great here, but she is great in spite of the material, not because of it.

The album is worth hearing for the three tracks that stand out, and worth skipping for everything else. It is a footnote in her career, not a statement.

Key Facts
– Artist: Aretha Franklin
– Album: Soft and Beautiful
– Year: 1969
– Tracks: 10
– Total running time: 34 minutes

1969 · album review · Aretha Franklin · classic pop · soul music