Album of the Day

Twenty albums into her career, Aretha Franklin could still deliver the goods, and LET ME IN YOUR LIFE is proof of that. The Atlantic Records brain trust of Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd co-produced the 1974 set and they brought an A-team of instrumentalists (guitarist Cornell Dupree, keyboardist Donny Hathaway and drummer Bernard Purdie among them) to accompany the legendary vocalist. The emphasis on orchestral arrangements here shows off Franklin's mastery of ballads, and all three singles - “Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do),” “I'm in Love” and “Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing” - were Top 10 R&B hits. The collection as a whole topped the R&B album chart and LET ME IN YOUR LIFE remains one of the Queen of Soul's best from the 1970s.