Legends of Soul: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin & Otis Redding

Aretha Franklin is, quite simply, the undisputed queen of soul. As the first woman inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame, Aretha has, in a career spanning forty years, won virtually every award there is to win, scoring dozens of smash hits, and a truckload of Grammy's and lifetime achievement awards. She has been described as having 'the most soulful female voice ever committed to disk' and as being 'one of the most influential people of the last century'. Otis Redding needs no introduction either. his extraordinary voice exemplified to many listeners the power of southern 'deep soul' - hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. His death at the age of 26 was tragic because he seemed on the verge of breaking through to a wide pop audience (which he would indeed do with his posthumous #1 single, "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay") as well as being at a point of artistic breakthrough in terms of the expression and sophistication.