

This 1968 album is a Southern soul statement of female self-determination, marked by some of Aretha’s most blues-drenched performances. “Good to Me as I Am to You,” with its stinging Eric Clapton solo, may dig the deepest. “Niki Hoeky” is jubilant Cajun country-soul, and other tracks find gospel amid the grits and gravy. Towering above it all are the stone classic “Chain of Fools” and the audaciously adult “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” both as unforgettable as they are unstoppable.