Fantastic photographs of the Queen Of Soul – images that start from her early years in Detroit, then move to her rise to fame on Atlantic Records in the 60s – and continue with images that follow Aretha well into her later years too! The book mixes together color and black and white, famous and obscure – and often includes images that are a great sidebar to some better-known photos of Franklin – all supported by text from author Meredith Ochs. This is hardly a comprehensive look at Aretha Franklin, but the photos are more than enough – great shots of Aretha on stage, in the studio, on the TV screen, and just kicking back on her own – 138 pages, hardcover, with images throughout. Book

A beautiful treatise on the lasting power of classic soul music – yet a book that also goes way beyond the simple readings and overdone cliches that are often attached to accounts of the music! Instead, author Emily J Lordi looks at not just the source recordings, but also the evolving theories about their role within black culture, and the larger American story – tracing shifts over time, while still focusing on the core contributions of artists like Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Isaac Hayes, and Marvin Gaye! The writing is smart, but never too academic – and Lordi does a great job of tying together the strands of her different arguments throughout. 217 pages, softcover. Book