Despite the teeny tiny bit of shade we threw at Aretha Franklin's performance on Late Show with David Letterman, we're actually very anxious to hear what the Queen of Soul will be bringing to the table when she releases her upcoming album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics. Luckily, we don't have to wait long to hear another taste of the album, because she's already premiered the album's latest leak, her cover of disco diva Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," over at Stereogum.
While one would expect the septuagenarian to go all disco diva on us for the track (it is one of the quintessential songs of the disco era, after all). Aretha decides to approach the song with more subtlety and nuance at first, taking a jazzy approach tempered with twinkling piano, strings and slightly out-of-place programmed drums. But soon the bpm picks up and we're transported to the dance floor, though Aretha still remains relatively restrained, adding in a short scat for good measure. And then the beat drops unexpectedly and Aretha shimmies into a bit of Destiny's Child's "Survivor" briefly before diving back into disco to finish.
It's definitely an interesting take on the song and a decidedly different approach than we've come to expect from Aretha. Due to the song's production values, we're wondering if this was where Andre 3000 made his contribution to the project — the Southern-fried hip hop sound of some of the song's elements sure suggest so — but we'll have to wait until the album's October 20th release to find out. In the meantime, take a listen to "I Will Survive," and let us know what you think.
