So Damn Happy
During the five years that separated So Damn Happy from her previous album, A Rose Is Still a Rose Aretha Franklin made the celebrity-gossip pages many more times than she earned airplay on the radio. Neatly side-stepping her problems with the law (including the mysterious circumstances that surrounded the fire at her home), Aretha s return to the studio illustrates that her power lies not in managing her career but in putting across any song that comes her way. Recording mostly in Detroit with a small group, she tempered the hip-hop inclinations of A Rose Is Still a Rose to deliver a refreshing (though admittedly sterilized) update of her '70s records. Various producers and songwriters -- including Troy Taylor Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence and Jam & Lewis -- give her backgrounds composed of earthy, acoustic-driven soul similar to contemporary records by India.Arie or Jill Scott Most of the songs, led by "The Only Thing Missin'," the title track, and "Holdin' On," are up to a high level, catchy and easy to understand (all the better to simply luxuriate in Aretha s powerful voice). Also, two mild concessions to the hip-hop world end up paying off: guest Mary J. Blige arranged the backing vocals for two songs, both of which reach a level not seen since the days of the Sweet Inspirations while producer Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence delivered an organic arrangement for a song called "Wonderful" that evokes the glory days of '70s soul more than any other song here. Aretha shouldn't need to resort to overkill to proclaim her joy at making music; the songs on So Damn Happy are all the proof her fans need to understand that her talent remains undiminished nearly 50 years after her debut as a secular act. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Burt Bacharach - Producer
Burt Bacharach - String Arrangements
Tom Sweeney - Assistant
Louis Alfred III - Engineer
Mary J. Blige - Vocal Arrangement
Gordon Chambers - Producer
Gordon Chambers - Vocal Arrangement
Barry Eastmond - Arranger
Barry Eastmond - Producer
Barry Eastmond - Engineer
Greg Phillinganes - Digital Editing
L.A. Reid - Executive Producer
Allen Sides - Engineer
Allen Sides - Mixing
Tom Coyne - Mastering
JoAnn Tominaga - Production Coordination
Adi Yeshaya - Arranger
Adi Yeshaya - Conductor
Adi Yeshaya - Horn Arrangements
Jeff Burns - Assistant
EMI Ferguson - Digital Editing
Michael J. Powell - Mixing
Joe-Mama Nitzberg - Creative Director
Michael J. Powell - Engineer
Jimmy Jam - Producer
Jean-Marie Horvat - Mixing
Barbara Wesotski - A&R
Aretha Franklin - Mixing
Aretha Franklin - Engineer
Aretha Franklin - Producer
Dan O. - Assistant
Kwaku Alston - Photography
Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence - Drum Programming
Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence - Engineer
Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence - Producer
Iz - Drum Programming
Carl Robinson - Assistant
Carl Robinson - Engineer
Keith Slattery - Assistant
Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander - Mixing
Troy Taylor - Vocal Editing
Troy Taylor - Producer
Troy Taylor - Programming
Rob Shrock - Synthesizer Arrangements
Pablo Arraya - Assistant
Tommy Morgan - Soloist
Terry Lewis - Producer
Jesse Levy - Orchestra Contractor
Joey Arbagey - A&R
Richard Thomas Jennings - Art Direction
Richard Thomas Jennings - Design
Rowie Nomeri - Engineer
Steve Pageot - Engineer
Norman West - Mixing
Norman West - Engineer
Norman West - Producer
David Chase - Digital Editing
William Bush - Drum Programming
William Bush - Arranger
Tommy Wilber - Assistant
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