I don’t think I’ll ever see such a straightforward, lovely performance on television like this 1970 appearance by Aretha Franklin on the The Cliff Richard Show. That’s too bad.
At a dinner with my work colleagues tonight, a friend asked me why I hate Journey so. “I know you’re the musician,” she said, “but I think Steve Perry’s voice is so beautiful.” Maybe so, but everything about Journey felt so contrived to me. I didn’t say that to her. “It’s just a matter of taste,” I said as diplomatically as possible.
Earlier in the day someone asked me what I thought about Christina Aguilera. “I don’t care for her music,” I said without hestitation, “but I often find her voice surprisingly expressive. Just wish she weren’t so over the top.” She couldn’t say a little prayer the way Aretha and Dionne Warwick did first, in their prime.
