Aretha Franklin's New Album Further Proves She’s Queen Of Cover Songs

This week saw the release of “Aretha Franklin Sings the Diva Classics,” with Franklin singing songs made famous by Adele, Barbra Streisand and Etta James. Here & Now pop culture critic Renee Graham joins host Robin Young to take a listen to the album.

Renee says Aretha Franklin “is as much the queen of cover songs” as she is the Queen of Soul — someone who can take songs as diverse as Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” and make them her own.

Songs Heard In This Segment

• Adele, Paul Epworth “Rolling in the Deep” performed by Aretha Franklin
• Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Etta James
• Mack Gordon and Harry Warren “At Last” performed by Aretha Franklin
• Prince “Nothing Compares 2 U” performed by Aretha Franklin
• Giacomo Puccini “Nessun Dorma” performed by Aretha Franklin
• Paul Simon “Bridge Over Troubled Water” performed by Aretha Franklin
• Paul Anka “My Way” performed by Aretha Franklin

Guest

• Renee Graham, pop culture critic for Here & Now. She tweets at @reneeygraham.

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