Aretha Franklin’s ‘Yeah!!!’: Twelve Tracks, Thirty-Five Minutes, and a Voice Finding Its Own Weight

Aretha Franklin’s Yeah!!! is a short record, twelve tracks and thirty-five minutes, but it moves fast. Released in 1965, it is her third studio album and the one where she starts to sound like the singer history remembers. It is not perfect, and it is not trying to be. What it is trying to be is immediate.

Track by Track

The record opens with “This Could Be the Start of Something,” a short piece that sets the tone: warm, direct, a little bit soulful. “Once in a Lifetime” follows with a light, almost playful feel, and “Misty” slows things down, turning the piano ballad into something intimate. “More” is brief and bright, a quick bridge before the record turns serious.

“More” is the weaker link here. It is pleasant, but it does not ask anything of the listener. “There Is No Greater Love” and “Muddy Water” sit together as the album’s center — the former a slow, searching ballad, the latter a bluesy, gospel-influenced track that shows off her range. “If I Had a Hammer” is a folk song turned into a statement, and “Impossible” closes out the middle stretch with a plea that never quite lands.

“Today I Love Ev’rybody” is the record’s high point. It is a love song that is also a statement, delivered with a warmth that makes it stick. “Without the One You Love” is less successful — the sentiment is there, but the delivery is thinner. “Trouble in Mind” picks the pace back up, a blues standard done with confidence. “Love for Sale” closes the record on a lighter note, a jazz standard that lets her voice float over the arrangement.

The Weak Spots

The record’s middle section drags in spots. “More” and “Impossible” are pleasant enough but forgettable, and “Without the One You Love” never quite finds its footing. None of them are bad, but none of them justify the space they take up.

Here is how the album’s weak spots break down:

• “More” — pleasant filler
• “Impossible” — forgettable
• “Without the One You Love” — thin

What holds the record together is the sequencing. Franklin moves from the light touch of the opener to the heavy weight of “There Is No Greater Love” and “Muddy Water,” then back through the middle stretch before landing on “Today I Love Ev’rybody” as the peak, followed by the closing pair. The flow matters as much as the individual songs.

The Verdict

The record is uneven, but the highs are high enough to carry it. “Today I Love Ev’rybody” and “Muddy Water” are among the strongest moments of her early career, and the sequencing gives the record a shape that lesser albums lack.

The weak tracks are easy to skip, and the record’s length works in its favor — nothing overstays its welcome. It is a snapshot of a young artist finding her voice, and the snapshot is sharp enough to matter.

1. “This Could Be the Start of Something” — pleasant opener, slight
2. “Once in a Lifetime” — light and charming
3. “Misty” — intimate and effective
4. “More” — pleasant filler
5. “There Is No Greater Love” — the record’s peak
6. “Muddy Water” — strong blues statement
7. “If I Had a Hammer” — confident folk cover
8. “Impossible” — forgettable
9. “Today I Love Ev’rybody” — the high point
10. “Without the One You Love” — thin
11. “Trouble in Mind” — steady blues
12. “Love for Sale” — light closer

1960s music · album review · Aretha Franklin · classic rock · soul music