As a young man, fresh from high school, full of youthful confidence (and ignorance) I took my best pal along and bursted in the office of celebrated newspaper offering our services as music critics. They must have been amused with our youth, because they actually gave us assignments: I was to review latest album by Queen of soul, while my friend had to write up about a certain artsy fartsy rock concert where we got drunk at the bar and didn't even realise that the concert actually started (" nah, they are just adjusting instruments"). I don't recall were we actually paid at all but we were thrilled to see our names in national paper and I did my best to sound very mature, article overflowing with complicated words and phrases that might sounds impressive (at the end nobody believed that I wrote it).
While my friend was at loss how to approach artsy fartsy concert by celebrated artists who didn't make any sense to her, my task was no less complicated because I was very much aware that I was just a kid and this is Aretha Franklin and album is very mediocre - so, I wrote my review very respectfully but made a point that we are talking about the artist venerated for her back catalogue and no amount of producers and special guests can hide the fact that this is extremely formulaic, slick product far removed from golden glory of her former years. Some twenty years I am listening "Through The Storm" again and my opinion has not changed - just like back than, the only time when the album gets mildly interesting is gently swinging ballad written by great lady herself ("He's The Boy") where she sits by piano and tones histrionics down - by this point we are so used to Franklin's style that it actually gets more satisfying to hear her singing relaxed instead of trying to smash the ceiling. The rest is unfortunately very bland and indistinguishable.
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