Young, Gifted and Black (1972) — Aretha Franklin

This album gets better with every listen. Thus, I haven't stopped listening to it this week. It seems like it's oversaid, but truly, there has never been another artist like Aretha Franklin. Her voice is unmatched, and the emotional charge she gifts to every single song on this album is palpable. The original songs and covers are seamlessly mixed, reading as one cohesive body of work.

I think Aretha's legacy tends to amplify her voice, which DUH! But I think she deserves equal credit as a songwriter. Almost every song I favorited on this album turned out to be written by her. She was a talent in every sense of the word, just a once in a generation woman. I find Aretha to be one of those acts in music that stands so singularly it seems the world moved around them instead of the world moving around them, similar to Elvis, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson.

Putting it plainly: This album is exceptional. Probably one of the best ever made.