30 Greatest Hits
zeroes in on
Aretha Franklin
's prime recording period for
Atlantic
, from her breakout in 1967 with
"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"
through the end of 1974, during which the Queen of Soul truly reigned over the charts -- she averaged over one
pop
hit every two months. This two-disc set delivers all of her classics (
"Respect,"
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,"
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,"
"Chain of Fools,"
"Think,"
"Spanish Harlem,"
"Rock Steady"
), plus much more excellent material for those who won't recognize much more than the songs (and there are quite a few) that have entered the cultural consciousness (
"I Say a Little Prayer,"
"The Weight,"
"Spirit in the Dark,"
"Day Dreaming"
). It's a great foundation to any collection that has yet to be equaled by a pair of
Rhino
sets, the two-volume
Very Best of Aretha Franklin
from 1994 and
Aretha's Best
from 2001. ~ John Bush