Who's Zoomin' Who? (CD - 1985)

Personnel includes: Aretha Franklin, Peter Wolf (vocals); Corrado Rustici (guitar, synthesizer); William "Doc" Powell, Steve Khan, Mike Campbell, Ray Gomez, Carlos Santana (guitar); Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Clarence Clemons (saxophone); Walter Afanasieff, Preston Glass, Nat Adderley Jr.(keyboards); Benmont Tench (organ); Randy Jackson (synthesizer, bass); Robert Kandor (synthesizer); Louis Johnson, Nathan East (bass); Narada Michael Walden (drums, percussion); Stan Lynch, Yogi Horton (drums); Andy Narell (steel drums); Steve Kroon (percussion); Greg Gonaway (tambourine); The Charles Williams Singers, Carolyn Franklin, Sylvester, Jeanie Tracy, Vicki Randle, Jim Gilstrap, Preston Glass, Kitty Beethoven (background vocals).

The Eurythmics: Annie Lennox (vocals, keyboards); David A. Stewart (guitar, keyboards).

Recorded at The Automatt, San Francisco, California; United Sound, Detroit, Michigan; The Plant, Sausalito, California; Right Track, New York, New York.

After nearly a two-year hiatus from the charts, the Queen of Soul returned in style with three Billboard R&B Top Ten singles, including the number one smash hit "Freeway of Love." With its festive rhythm arrangement and electric sax solo by Clarence Clemons, Aretha Franklin injects her lively vocals. It held the number one spot for five straight weeks. The title track, "Who's Zoomin' Who," has a more soulful bounce, including Franklin's delivery. Its sputtering bassline and chiming keyboards are augmented by Franklin's soulful delivery; her improvising ad libs are laudable to say the least. The single peaked at number two for four consecutive weeks. She had another Top Ten hit with "Another Night," a mid-tempo number with a light rock feel. It was a number nine hit. Her duet with Eurythmics, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," faltered at number 66. This album has a slight pop texture. Narada Michael Walden is credited with the majority of the production on this sound outing. ~ Craig Lytle

When the Reverend C.L. Franklin passed away in 1984, daughter Aretha (who was close to her father) rebounded from this personal tragedy by cutting 1985's WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO? with producer Narada Michael Walden. The resulting album is full of famous names, contained three Top 20 singles and was Franklin's highest-charting album since 1972. Hitting the upper reaches of the charts were "Freeway Of Love," the title track and "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves," a feminist anthem written by and recorded with the Eurythmics. The Top 5 "Freeway" found Lady Soul backed by the Santana rhythm section and featured a ripping sax solo by Clarence Clemons.

Other famous cameos on ZOOMIN' include Dizzy Gillespie playing trumpet on the Franklin-penned "Integrity," and Carlos Santana and Peter Wolf contributing guitar and vocals respectively on "Push. Amidst the flood of slick R&B, Van McCoy's "Sweet Bitter Love" is a slow-burning highlight in which Franklin's exquisite singing cuts through the numerous drum machines and lite funk rhythms populating most of this record. minimize