So Damn Happy (Aretha Franklin album)

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So Damn Happy
Studio album by
Aretha Franklin
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2003
Recorded2002–03
Genre
LabelArista
Producer
Aretha Franklin chronology
A Rose Is Still a Rose
(1998) 		So Damn Happy
(2003) 		Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen
(2007)

So Damn Happy is the thirty-fifth

Grammy Award-winning track "Wonderful", a single co-written and produced by Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence
and G Syier Hawkins Brown.

The album peaked at number 33 on the US

Italian Albums Chart. Shortly after its release, Franklin left Arista after being on their roster for 23 years. She later announced plans to start her own Detroit
-based record label, Aretha Records.

Background

In 1998, Franklin released her thirty-fourth studio album

hip hop and modern-day R&B genre.[1] The album went gold in the US and was praised by most critics, who called it a return to form for Franklin.[2] Following the departure of Arista Records head and longtime collaborator Clive Davis in 2000, L.A. Reid became instrumental in compiling Franklin's next project with the label.[3] He chose songs to honor Franklin's roots, making no attempt to realize a pop record, instead aiming for a more personal, soulful vibe that would sound like "the old days."[3] Franklin wrote and produced three songs on So Damn Happy, accompanied herself on the piano and was more generally hands-on than she had been on her other recent albums, which she cited as "the missing element."[3] Elaborating on the overall sound of the album, she added: "Some of it is hip-hop, some of it is traditional, and it just works."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
[10]

So Damn Happy received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.

India.Arie or Jill Scott." He felt that "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."[4] People magazine noted that Franklin "may be worshiped for her oldies, but the Queen of Soul’s new material also deserves respect." The magazine found that the "entire album, refreshingly free of any guest rappers or trendy production, has a warm, classic R&B feel. Even Franklin’s two jazz-kissed collaborations with hip-hop soul diva Mary J. Blige sound as if they could have been recorded in the '70s."[8]

In his review for MSN Music, Jack Smith wrote that "Aretha's voice is a beautiful instrument that she never stops strengthening and developing and in So Damn Happy her legion of fans have a slick and superior album of depth, vision and soul that's truly one to savour."[7] Billboard found that "Franklin revisits the contemporary production well that she drew from for" previous album A Rose Is Still a Rose, noting that "unlike that album – which had its stellar moments – Happy is a more consistent package [...] striking a believable balance between new-school vibe and down-home soul."[5] Rolling Stone journalist Barry Walters compared the album unfavorably to A Rose Is Still a Rose and wrote that "The queen of soul is still the Queen. But that doesn’t mean the material on Aretha Franklin’s latest album is deserving of her crown." He found that the songs came up "short in the melody, hook and rhythm departments," providing "adult-contemporary slickness that sometimes makes the sixty-one-year-old legend’s voice seem shrill."[9]

Chart performance

In the United States, So Damn Happy debuted and peaked at number 33 on the US

Italian Albums Chart, ranking among her highest-charting albums there.[14]

Track listing

So Damn Happy track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Only Thing Missin'"
  • Barry J. Eastmond
  • Chambers
  • Eastmond
4:37
10."Good News"Norman WestWest4:55
11."You Are My Joy (Reprise)"FranklinFranklin2:33

Samples

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Queen of Soul". Billboard. October 4, 2003. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1998). Robert Christgau: CG: Aretha Franklin. Robert Christgau. The Village Voice. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  3. ^
    New York Times
    . Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  4. ^
    Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Eessential Reviews". Billboard. 20 September 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Aretha Franklin". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b Walters, Barry. "So Damn Happy". Rolling Stone. review. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Picks and Pans Review: So Damn Happy". People. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Walters, Barry. "So Damn Happy". Rolling Stone. Review. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  10. ISBN 978-0195313734
    .
  11. ^ "DMX Proves 'Grand Champ' On Album Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  12. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Aretha Franklin Earns Her Highest-Charting Album Since 1985". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  13. ^ "Ask Billboard: She Loves Me! She Really Loves Me!". Billboard. May 18, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Italiancharts.com – Aretha Franklin – So Damn Happy". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Aretha Franklin – So Damn Happy". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.

External links

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